# Gong Sun Chou II: cohesion and roles: summary

Discusses timing, position and cohesion, political roles and decisions to serve or depart.

https://sakimyto.com/en/classics/mencius/chapter-04-gong-sun-chou-ii-cohesion-and-roles

## Source and summary

[Mencius · Gong Sun Chou II: cohesion and roles](https://zh.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=%E5%AD%9F%E5%AD%90/%E5%85%A8%E8%A6%BD&oldid=2636978#%E5%85%AC%E5%AD%AB%E4%B8%91%E4%B8%8B)

> 孟子曰：「天時不如地利，地利不如人和。三里之城，七里之郭，環而攻之而不勝；夫環而攻之，必有得天時者矣，然而不勝者，是天時不如地利也。城非不高也，池非不深也，兵革非不堅利也，米粟非不…

Discusses timing, position and cohesion, political roles and decisions to serve or depart.

## Editorial interpretation

The example below adapts this chapter’s questions to modern work. Evaluate it against the actual purpose and conditions; ancient politics, warfare or ethics do not establish business results.

## Business application

Before adding facilities or capabilities, check shared understanding of purpose and unresolved conditions.

1. Choose one relevant case and record its objective, available resources, verified facts and unknowns.
2. Compare options using this chapter’s perspective; choose a limited trial, owner, deadline and a measure to assess the result.

Deliverable: A comparison using gong sun chou ii: cohesion and roles, with conditions for acting or declining.

## Limits

The summary selects main points rather than translating every sentence. The example is not a demonstrated business method; check it against stakeholders’ conditions and actual evidence.

## Validation question

How does this chapter’s perspective change the selected option or priority, and what further evidence could change the decision?

[Mencius: a guide to judgment and responsibility](https://sakimyto.com/en/classics/mencius)

[This material](https://sakimyto.com/classics-data/entries/mencius/chapter-04-gong-sun-chou-ii-cohesion-and-roles.en.md)

Updated: 2026-10-13 · v1.0.0