The Thirty-Six Stratagems

by Peter Taylor

The 36 Stratagems is a Chinese essay used to illustrate a series of stratagems used in politics and in war, as well as in civilian life, often through unorthodox means. Approximately 300 years ago an unknown scholar compiled the stratagems, a strangely seductive meditation on deception. The stratagems are ordered in categories according to your current position. ‘Advantageous Stratagems’, ‘Opportunistic Stratagems’ and ‘Attacking Stratagems’ are used when you are in a winning situation. ‘Confusion Stratagems’, ‘Deception Stratagems’ and ‘Desperate Stratagems’ are used when you are in a disadvantageous or losing situation. These strategems can be combined in various ways as they are not intended to be used alone, nor are they only applicable in purely a winning or purely a losing situation. So how can the three hundred year old ideas of an unknown Chinese scholar provide help with the strategic challenges we face today? In this brilliant interpretation, this ancient text is transformed into a practical guide for the 21st century business executive or politician. By interpreting the lessons of The 36 Stratagems this handy, authentic, realistic approach shows how we can defeat the opponents we face in our business and personal lives. But beware: there is no ‘win win’ scenario in The 36 Stratagems. Winner takes all!

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy

138 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Luís Garcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

The CHINESE Thirty-Six Stratagems are interesting.

On the other hand, Peter Taylor's analysis, comments and suggestions are the most moronic thing I ever read in my life!

As a good brainwashed North American, his examples are almost always about corporations.
As a good brainwashed North American, he doesn't understand the Chinese text he was supposed to explain to us.

He is dumb enough to see US Terror Army occupying Afghanistan as the "good guys", while seeing the Afghans tired of US illegal occupation as "wolves in sheep's clothes"!!!

How dare you Peter Taylor to inverse the roles there?
How dare you Peter Taylor to spoil a great Chinese text with your arrogant ignorance?

(Jomtien, Thailand)

[Alli · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the Stratagems themselves are useful, Taylor's commentary is difficult to sift through. There are a few grammatical issues and typos, which make the book harder to read, and he fails to properly transition from each case study. His commentary reads like a rushed ramble, as though he wrote the entire book in one sitting the day after he was supposed to send it to his publisher.

[Tariq · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this explanation of the 36 Stratagems when the original text came to my attention.

I understand the pattern now that when it comes to historical treatises such as the original text, it will be more common to find an interpretation and exegesis of the work rather than the raw work itself. I can understand this to some extent as perhaps the original text did not have enough to comprise a modern day book, or perhaps the meaning of the original translated word for word into English would not convey the meaning the Author intended so long ago.

As such, my rating for the book is not a rating for the 36 Stratagems themselves, but for this interpretation and explanation of them.

The Stratagems themselves are sound and some a little more obvious than others, but I am a strong believer in that even if only 5% of a book is beneficial, that 5% can benefit and change your life.

Some of the examples given for the Stratagems in the book seem very irrelevant and there were one or two points where I questioned how they related to the strategy at all. I feel like the Author just followed a strict rule of giving 1/2 Business examples, a historical Chinese example and maybe another one here and there for each strategy. As such it is easy to miss the message or to feel disconnected from the book of you are not familiar with American history/businesses or Chinese history.

Despite that however, the book was beneficial in that it was succinct, to the point and just enough explanation was given to drive the point home. Brevity is a strong point of this book. If you want to familiarise yourself with these Stratagems, this isn’t a bad place to start but there is room for improvement.

Similar books would be the much heavier 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene.

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally loved The Thirty-Six Stratagems, and this modern interpretation does a solid job of bringing those ideas into a contemporary context.

Are all of Peter Taylor’s modern interpretations perfect? No. As other reviewers have pointed out, he’s not operating at the level of someone like Robert Greene, and some of the anecdotes and explanations feel weaker or less refined. A few modern examples could have been sharper or better chosen.

That said, the book is absolutely good enough to move past those flaws. It’s not all bad—far from it. Taylor provides several genuinely interesting case studies that can be meaningfully compared to the original ancient stratagems, and when it works, it really works. The strategic principles themselves are rock solid.

I’m giving this book 5 stars. While the modern interpretations needed some tightening, the underlying advice is strong and timeless. It’s a book I would revisit, and overall it offers valuable insights for business, politics, and life.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars. Some of the "current" examples were dated.

The highlights and commentary on the Jocko podcast were better than the book itself (episode 132: HOW TO WIN IN BATTLE, BUSINESS, AND LIFE WITH THE 36 “STRATEGEMS.” THE SPIRIT OF WU).

[Sakib Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It is easy to read and one gains quick insights into the stratagems without delving too deep into each one. Following each stratagem, the author gives some modern examples and thoughts on how to implement the stratagem in question.

[Teoh Kah Keng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but too few examples

Very short book .. would be good if more examples are given on application of strategem .. and some of the stories given do not really relate to the strategem ..

[Athena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very relevant examples, which helped me to understand the strategems better. The writing and grammar could be tighter, several typos and very windy sentences

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting suggestions.

[Austin Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

93/100

5 stars - 90/100
4 stars - 80/100
3 stars - 70/100
2 stars - 60/100
1 star - 50/100

[Mayur Sinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The timeless wisdom of the original 36 stratagems remains unchallenged, but Peter's commentary is idiotic hence 3-stars.

[Publius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting, but too much fact-driven and lacks the deep insight of Sun Tzu's Art of War

[Xian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The little explanatory stories were fun to read, although I had trouble relating some of them back to the stratagem under discussion.

[Amr]

I liked the stratagems with the stories.

"Fool the Sky to Cross the Sea"
"Kill With a Borrowed Knife"
"Pretend to Take One Path While Sneaking Down Another"
"Play Dumb While Remaining Smart"
"Inflict Injury on Oneself in Order to Win the Enemy's Trust"

and my two favorites:
"Hide a Knife in a Smile"
"Run away"