(Zǒu wéi shàng cè)
"If all else fails, retreat."
Tan Daoji (executed 436 AD); a celebrated general of the Liu Song dynasty; one of the many loyal and capable public servants in Chinese history to have incurred the suspicion or resentment of his Emperor and been unjustly killed (really, there are a lot of such incidents). He is said to have had Thirty-Six Stratagems, of which this was the last (often wrongly ascribed to Sun Tzu and his overrated Art of War). It's quite a common saying in China today: "Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is best."
3 comments:
Mr Miyagi, of course, said something very similar.
Sorry to say I've never heard of it. I hope the US defence dept. library has a copy.
My favourite slice of wisdom from Mr Miyagi: "The best defence is to not be there when they try to hit you."
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