# Variation in tactics: benefits and harms: summary

Considers changing actions with circumstances, weighing benefits alongside harms and recognizing dispositions that impair judgment.

https://sakimyto.com/en/classics/sunzi/chapter-08-variation-in-tactics-benefits-and-harms

## Source and summary

[Sunzi · The Art of War · Variation in tactics: benefits and harms](https://zh.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=%E5%AD%AB%E5%AD%90%E5%85%B5%E6%B3%95&oldid=7906064#%E4%B9%9D%E8%AE%8A%E7%AC%AC%E5%85%AB)

> 孫子曰：凡用兵之法，將受命於君，合軍聚眾。圮地無舍，衢地合交，絕地無留，圍地則謀，死地則戰。途有所不由，軍有所不擊，城有所不攻，地有所不爭，君命有所不受。故將通於九變之利者，知用兵…

Considers changing actions with circumstances, weighing benefits alongside harms and recognizing dispositions that impair judgment.

## 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

Evaluate a partnership by comparing access or capabilities with dependency, operating burden and the consequences of ending it.

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 variation in tactics: benefits and harms, 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?

[The Art of War: a guide to key ideas](https://sakimyto.com/en/classics/sunzi)

[This material](https://sakimyto.com/classics-data/entries/sunzi/chapter-08-variation-in-tactics-benefits-and-harms.en.md)

Updated: 2026-10-13 · v1.0.0