# Know both sides: meaning and business applications

Establish what is known about both sides before choosing an action.

https://sakimyto.com/en/classics/sunzi/know-yourself-and-others

## Source and summary

[The Art of War · Attack by Stratagem](https://ctext.org/art-of-war/attack-by-stratagem/zh)

> 知彼知己，百戰不殆。

The passage connects knowledge of both sides with avoiding peril in battle.

## Editorial interpretation

Know your own position and the other side

Separate observations from assumptions before planning. Ask which information would actually change the decision.

## Business application

When a team follows competitor features without knowing its own strengths or why customers choose it.

1. List customer choice criteria, competitor offers and your resources as facts or hypotheses.
2. Choose one unknown that could change the preferred option and test it through a customer conversation or small prototype.

Deliverable: A comparison of customers, competitors and your team, plus the next question to investigate.

## Limits

Complete knowledge is unavailable. Set a decision deadline and identify the information worth collecting.

## Validation question

Did the new information change the options or their priority?

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

[This material](https://sakimyto.com/classics-data/entries/sunzi/know-yourself-and-others.en.md)

Updated: 2026-10-13 · v1.0.0