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Military & Conflict

36 Stratagems (Master Page)

Model #0795Category: Military & ConflictDepth to apply:

By Updated

4 min read

Contents

  1. 1. Core Idea
  2. 2. How to See It
  3. 3. How to Use It
  4. 4. Founders & Leaders
  5. 5. Connected Models
  6. 6. One Key Quote
  7. 7. Summary & Further Reading
Military & Conflict
Section 1

Core Idea

The 36 Stratagems are a Chinese collection of military and political tactics compiled from centuries of warfare, diplomacy, and statecraft. Each stratagem is a pattern — a recurring way to gain advantage through deception, timing, or structural positioning rather than brute force. They range from "cross the sea by deceiving the sky" (disguise your intentions) to "retreat is the best option" (knowing when to quit). The core idea: competitive advantage often comes from indirection, misdirection, and understanding the full palette of strategic moves available — not just the obvious ones.

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Section 2

How to See It

Competitive Strategy
You're seeing the 36 Stratagems when a competitor's move doesn't make obvious sense until you realise it was designed to provoke your reaction, distract your attention, or disguise a larger play.
Negotiation & Deals
You're seeing the 36 Stratagems when a counterparty creates urgency, offers a concession that costs them nothing, or frames the deal so you feel you're winning while the structural terms favour them.
Section 3

How to Use It

Study the stratagems as a vocabulary of competitive moves. Use them defensively — to recognise when they're being used against you — and offensively, to expand your strategic options beyond direct confrontation. The best application is pattern recognition: when a competitor's move feels strange, check it against the stratagems for hidden logic.
Decision filter
"Is our strategy limited to direct competition, or have we considered the full range of indirect moves — misdirection, timing, provocation, retreat? What would an opponent using the 36 Stratagems do here?"
As a founder
Use the stratagems as a checklist of competitive patterns. When planning market entry or responding to a competitor, ask which stratagems apply. The value is expanding your menu of strategic moves and anticipating opponents who play beyond the obvious.
Section 5

Founders & Leaders

Genghis KhanFounder, Mongol Empire
Genghis Khan mastered the full range of stratagems long before the Chinese collection was formalised. He used feigned retreats to lure enemies into ambush, spread disinformation about his army's size, offered generous terms to cities that surrendered to encourage others to yield without fighting, and used speed to appear in multiple places simultaneously. His genius was combinatorial — layering deception, psychological pressure, and structural positioning so opponents faced impossible choices. Founders can learn that the best competitive strategies often combine multiple indirect moves. Don't just compete head-on; study the full palette of strategic patterns and layer them for compounding effect.
Section 7

Connected Models

Reinforces
Asymmetric Warfare
Asymmetric warfare uses indirect methods against a stronger opponent. The 36 Stratagems are a toolkit for exactly this — winning through deception, timing, and positioning when direct confrontation is unfavourable.
Reinforces
Strategy vs Tactics
The stratagems operate at the strategy layer — choosing which game to play, not just how to play it. Use them to elevate thinking from tactical execution to strategic framing.
Tension
[Game Theory](/mental-models/game-theory)
Game theory assumes rational actors with known payoffs. The 36 Stratagems exploit situations where information is incomplete and deception changes the game itself. The tension: formal models assume transparency; stratagems exploit opacity.
Section 8

One Key Quote

"All warfare is based on deception. When able, appear unable; when active, appear inactive."
— Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Section 11

Summary & Further Reading

The 36 Stratagems are a centuries-old collection of competitive patterns built on indirection, deception, and timing. Use them as a vocabulary for recognising and deploying strategic moves beyond direct confrontation. The value is expanding your menu of options and reading opponents who operate beyond the obvious.

Why this matters next

mental modelsCompounding

36 Stratagems (Master Page) applied the Compounding mental model

mental modelsStrategy vs Tactics

36 Stratagems (Master Page) applied the Strategy vs Tactics mental model

mental modelsAsymmetric Warfare

36 Stratagems (Master Page) applied the Asymmetric Warfare mental model

mental models36 Stratagems (Master Page)

36 Stratagems (Master Page) applied the 36 Stratagems (Master Page) mental model

mental modelsCost

36 Stratagems (Master Page) applied the Cost mental model

mental modelsWin Without Fighting

36 Stratagems (Master Page) applied the Win Without Fighting mental model

Frequently asked questions

What is 36 Stratagems (Master Page)?

36 Stratagems (Master Page) is a mental model used for better thinking and decision-making.

How do you apply 36 Stratagems (Master Page)?

To apply 36 Stratagems (Master Page), identify situations where this framework is relevant, then use it as a lens to evaluate your options and decisions. The model is most useful when combined with other complementary mental models.

What category does 36 Stratagems (Master Page) fall under?

36 Stratagems (Master Page) falls under the Military & Conflict category of mental models. Other models in this category can be found on the Military & Conflict hub page.

Why is 36 Stratagems (Master Page) important?

36 Stratagems (Master Page) is important because it provides a structured way to think about problems that would otherwise be approached with intuition alone. Understanding this model helps you avoid common reasoning errors and make better decisions.

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