Unfortunately, my format for comparing the various translations
doesn't capture his method well. I limit myself here to his translation of Sun Tzu's
words.
If you see brevity as a virtue in translation, you should like
this version. However, some of its lines, such as "Do not eat food for their
soldiers," seem
to miss Sun Tzu's point and actually contradict the text's advice elsewhere.
Our
Character Translation |
Cleary's Translation |
 Without
 invitation
 right
correct ’s
 banner, |
Avoiding confrontation with orderly ranks |
 Do not  attack
 hall hall
of  formation, |
and not attacking great
formations |
 Here  govern
 transform  one
 also; |
is mastering adaptation. |
 Make  use
 war’s
 method, |
So the rule
for military operations is |
 High  mound
do not  face, |
not to face a high hill |
 Back  grave
do not  oppose, |
and not to oppose those with their
backs to a hill. |
 Pretend  flee
do not  follow, |
Do not follow a feigned
retreat. |
 Sharp  soldiers
do not  attack, |
Do not attack crack troops. |
 Bait war
do not  feed, |
Do not eat food for their
soldiers. |
 Returning home
 legion
do not  block, |
Do not stop
an army on
its way home. |
 Encircling
troops
 must  watch-tower, |
A surrounded army must be
given a way out. |
 Poor  pillage
do not  force, |
Do not press a desperate army. |
Here use
war’s
method also. |
These are the rules of military operations. |
