"إذا كان خصمك مزاجيًا، فسعَ إلى إغاظته. تظاهر بالضعف، ليصبح متغطرسًا. إذا كان يأخذ راحته، لا تمنحه الراحة. إذا كانت قواته متحدة، فرّق بينها. إذا كان السيد والموضوع في اتفاق، ضع الفرقة بينهما."
— Sun Tzu
Simplified Meaning:
When dealing with an opponent, sometimes the best strategy is to play on their emotions and weaknesses. For example, if someone gets angry easily, you might frustrate them on purpose so they make mistakes. Show weakness, even if you're strong, so they become overconfident and careless. If they're feeling comfortable, create disturbances and challenges so they can't relax. When their team is working well together, find ways to split them up and create disagreements. When a leader and their followers are getting along, try to create trust issues and friction between them. Essentially, you're using psychological tactics to throw them off balance and gain an advantage. In everyday life, if you're negotiating a deal and the other person is impatient, you might delay your responses to make them anxious and less thoughtful. In sports, a team appearing weaker might cause the opponents to lower their guard. During debates, highlighting small conflicts within a group can diminish their collective strength. Understanding these techniques can help you manage conflicts and competitions more effectively.