Thirty-Six Stratagems

The Thirty-Six Stratagems (traditional Chinese: 三十六計; simplified Chinese: 三十六计; pinyin: Sānshíliù Jì) was originally a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in politics, war, as well as in civil interaction, often through unorthodox or deceptive means.

Stratagem categories

Senger divides stratagems into six categories:

1. Simulation or Masking: 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 24, 25,
2. Dissimulation or Feint: 7, 27, 29, 32, 34
3. Information or Disclosure: 13, 26,
4. Exploiting, taking Advantage: 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 28, 30, 31, 33
5. Linking more than one stratagem: 35
6. Flight Stratagems: 9, 11, 21, 36

Cungen GE, a Chinese researcher of 36 Stratagems from the perspective of modern business competition, supports the ready-made six groups of classification of these stratagems in the book of Thirty-six Stratagems (The Secret of War):

1. The Stratagems of Winning;
2. The Stratagems of Defending;
3. The Stratagems of Attacking;
4. The Stratagems of Scuffling;
5. The Stratagems of Merging;
6. The Stratagems of Losing.