In business competition, negotiations, or project execution, most people respond to bottlenecks with a simple instinct: double down. Increase the budget. Extend overtime. Roll out tougher tactics.
Yet more often than not, this head-on approach leads to the same result—you drain your resources, only to find yourself circling within a battlefield your opponent has already prepared.
If the previous chapter, “Momentum” (兵勢), taught you how to build momentum so that victory flows naturally in your favor, then this chapter, “Emptiness and Substance” (虛實), teaches you how to control the very switch that turns engagement on and off.
In this chapter, Sun Tzu reveals a truth that is both ruthless and captivating: victory does not necessarily belong to the side with more resources—it belongs to the one who determines where the battlefield is set.
The core idea can be distilled into seven Chinese characters: “致人而不致於人.” In essence, the truly skillful strategist designs incentives that draw the opponent willingly into their rhythm, rather than reacting passively to the opponent’s moves.
More importantly, Sun Tzu introduces a strategic aesthetic that has endured for over two millennia: “兵形象水” — The formation of an army is like water. Water has no fixed shape, yet it can penetrate the hardest rock. Likewise, a true master of strategy does not rely on a single, rigid move. Instead, they constantly adapt—reshaping themselves according to the enemy, the timing, and the environment.
If you often feel:
- “Our team works incredibly hard, yet we keep getting overtaken at the final stretch.”
- “We spend more than our competitors, but our conversion rate is shockingly low.”
- “Our opponents always seem to anticipate our next move, making every battle an uphill fight.”
Then this deep analysis of “Emptiness and Substance” may be the key that brings you back to the strategic control room.
Let’s set aside the obsession with brute force—and first learn how to decide how your opponent makes their move.
The Art of War · Chapter 6: Emptiness and Substance (虛實)
Original Text
From The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu said:
Whoever reaches the battlefield first and awaits the enemy will be at ease;
whoever arrives later and rushes into combat will be exhausted.Thus, the skilled commander brings the enemy to him,
and is not brought there by the enemy.
He who can cause the enemy to come of his own accord does so by offering advantage;
he who can prevent the enemy from coming does so by imposing harm.Therefore, if the enemy is at ease, you can make him weary;
if he is well fed, you can make him hungry;
if he is settled, you can force him to move.Appear where he does not hasten;
move where he does not expect.
To march a thousand miles without fatigue is to move through unoccupied territory.
To attack and surely take, strike where he does not defend.
To defend and surely hold, guard where he does not attack.Thus, the skilled attacker leaves the enemy uncertain where to defend;
the skilled defender leaves the enemy uncertain where to attack.
Subtle, subtle—to the point of formlessness.
Mysterious, mysterious—to the point of soundlessness.
Thus one becomes the arbiter of the enemy’s fate.To advance irresistibly, strike at his emptiness.
To withdraw without being pursued, move swiftly beyond his reach.Therefore, if I wish to fight, even if the enemy is protected by high ramparts and deep moats,
I can compel him to engage by attacking what he must rescue.
If I do not wish to fight, even if I mark out ground and defend it,
I can prevent him from engaging by diverting him from his intended path.Thus, I shape the enemy while remaining formless myself.
If I concentrate my forces while he is divided,
I am unified as one while he is split into ten—
then I may use ten to strike his one.If I am many and he is few,
I can use the many to strike the few;
thus, the enemy I actually confront will be limited in number.If the place where I will fight is unknown,
the enemy must prepare in many locations.
If he prepares in many locations,
the forces I face at any single point will be few.If he prepares in front, his rear will be thin;
if he prepares in the rear, his front will be thin;
if he prepares on the left, his right will be thin;
if he prepares on the right, his left will be thin.
If he prepares everywhere, he will be thin everywhere.
Those who are few are those who must prepare against others;
those who are many are those who force others to prepare against them.Therefore, if one knows the place of battle and the day of battle,
he may march a thousand miles and meet the enemy in combat.
If one does not know the place or the day,
the left cannot rescue the right, the right cannot rescue the left,
the front cannot rescue the rear, the rear cannot rescue the front—
how much less so when separated by tens of miles, or even a few?By my estimation, though the forces of Yue may be numerous,
what benefit does that bring to victory?
Thus it is said: victory can be created.
Though the enemy be many, he can be made unable to fight.Therefore, assess him to understand his plans of gain and loss;
provoke him to discern the patterns of his movement and stillness;
shape the situation to determine the ground of life and death;
engage him to discover where he has surplus and where he is deficient.The highest form of military disposition is to reach formlessness.
In formlessness, even the deepest spies cannot perceive you,
and the wisest strategists cannot scheme against you.
Through visible form, I place victory before the masses—
yet the masses do not understand the form by which I secure it.
All may see the outward shape of my victory,
but none perceive the underlying shape by which I control it.
Thus victory in war is never repeated in the same way,
but responds infinitely to circumstance.The formation of an army is like water.
Water flows away from high places and hastens toward the low;
so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness.
Water shapes its current according to the terrain;
an army shapes its victory according to the enemy.
Therefore, an army has no constant configuration,
just as water has no constant shape.
One who can adapt to the enemy and secure victory
may be called divine.Thus, the Five Elements have no constant supremacy;
the four seasons have no constant position;
days vary in length;
the moon waxes and wanes.
Three Sentences to Capture This Chapter
1) “Bring others to you, do not be brought to them.” (致人而不致於人)
Through the deliberate design of benefit and cost, you make your opponent step into your script—rather than reacting to theirs.
2) “Shape others while remaining formless yourself.” (形人而我無形)
Conceal your true intent so the opponent must divide their forces to defend. When they “split into ten” and you “concentrate as one,” every local battlefield becomes ten against one.
3) “The formation of an army is like water.” (兵形象水)
Abandon fixed forms. Avoid the opponent’s strength (substance) and strike their weakness (emptiness). Adapt to the enemy’s changes and secure victory accordingly.
This is the essence of Chapter 6 of The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
I. Bring Others to You, Do Not Be Brought to Them:
Initiative Is Designed, Not Demanded
Key Passage
“Whoever arrives first on the battlefield and awaits the enemy will be at ease; whoever arrives later and rushes into battle will be weary. Therefore the skilled commander brings the enemy to him and is not brought there by the enemy. One who can cause the enemy to come does so with benefit; one who can prevent the enemy from coming does so with harm.”
Plain Interpretation
Initiative is not gained by speaking louder or posturing more aggressively.
It is gained by structuring incentives.
Bring them to you (致人):
Offer something they cannot refuse—an advantage so compelling that they willingly step into your arena.
Do not be brought to them (不致於人):
Create barriers they cannot easily cross—costs or constraints that make it futile for them to drag you into their game.
A true strategist does not force the opponent onto the stage.
They build the stage so well that the opponent feels:
“If I don’t show up, I lose. If I do show up, I’m already at a disadvantage.”
Small Examples
SaaS Pricing: Turning “Must-Have” Into a Strategic Hook
Strategy:
Lock essential enterprise needs—such as compliance audits or advanced data export—into higher-tier plans.
Effect:
Customers must upgrade in order to pass internal compliance (you bring them to you).
Meanwhile, competitors who want to poach those clients would have to subsidize heavy infrastructure just to match those features. If they don’t, they can only watch you capture high-value accounts (you are not brought to them).
Procurement Negotiation: Controlling the Rhythm Through Milestones
Strategy:
Instead of fixating on price, tie discounts to phased delivery and contractual penalties.
Effect:
To obtain the discount, the other party must move according to your timeline (you bring them to you).
If they attempt delay or breach, the contractual triggers impose real costs—keeping initiative firmly in your hands (you are not brought to them).
In One Sentence
Initiative is not about pushing harder—it’s about designing the game so the other side has no better move than the one you’ve already prepared.
II. Shape the Enemy While Remaining Formless:
Make Them Divide; You Concentrate
Key Passage
“By shaping the enemy while remaining formless myself, I can concentrate my forces while he is divided. I am unified as one while he is split into ten—thus I may use ten to strike his one.”
— The Art of War, Sun Tzu
This is the mathematical logic behind “using the many to defeat the few”:
By concealing your true intent, you force the opponent to spread their strength across ten fronts—while you stack all your resources onto one decisive point. On the local battlefield, it becomes ten against one.
Plain Interpretation
Push your opponent into the anxiety of “having to defend everywhere” and “fearing loss everywhere,” while you remain almost invisible—amassing firepower precisely at their blind spot.
Remain formless (我無形):
Conceal your true objective. Never let the opponent clearly identify your main axis of attack.
Shape the enemy (形人):
Induce them into a defensive posture. Guide their formation. Make them react to shadows.
Three Practical Steps: How to Execute This Well
1. Send Signals (Feints).
Publicly announce “multi-front initiatives”—today AI, tomorrow ESG, next week global expansion.
Let competitors assume you are serious about all fronts. Force them to allocate resources everywhere.
2. Truly Concentrate (The Heavy Punch).
Internally approve only one primary battlefield KPI—a specific region, a precise customer segment, or a single breakout product.
Pile all real resources onto that one point. Ensure the strike is decisive.
3. Close the Net Quickly (Lock the Position).
Once you break through and gain traction, immediately build defensive fortifications—flagship customer endorsements, patent filings, ecosystem partnerships.
Deny the enemy any chance to reallocate and counterattack.
Scenario Cases
Marketing Strategy: Using “Noise” to Shield the Main Force
Strategy:
Release three trending topics simultaneously, luring competitors to follow with content and events across multiple themes.
Reality:
You are actually concentrating ad spend and sales effort on a niche like medical compliance. Within two weeks, you secure endorsements from leading hospitals.
By the time competitors realize where the real battle was, you’ve already built a brand moat in that domain.
Product Development: All-In at the Core, Acting Elsewhere
Strategy:
Externally declare a broad initiative to “strengthen security across all modules.”
Reality:
R&D resources are entirely committed to endpoint zero-trust architecture.
Competitors, misled by your stated breadth, stretch their engineering across too many lines. When your flagship product launches, they cannot respond in time.
A Common Mistake
Multiple external fronts ≠ internal distraction.
Many leaders act so convincingly that they end up confusing their own teams.
Remember: the performance is for the opponent. Internally, you must maintain ruthless focus.
The more elaborate the show outside, the sharper the concentration inside.
In One Sentence
While your opponent runs in every direction, they collide with the full force you have already prepared.
III. Strike What They Must Rescue:
Press the Lifeline, and They Must Fight—Even If They Don’t Want To
Key Passage
“If I wish to engage in battle, even if the enemy is protected by high walls and deep moats, I can compel him to fight by attacking what he must rescue.”
— The Art of War
Plain Interpretation
If I want to fight, even if the enemy hides behind towering walls and deep trenches, they must come out. Why? Because I am attacking what they cannot afford to lose.
Do not attack where it is easiest.
Attack where they are least able to accept defeat.
This could be their marquee client, brand reputation, regulatory compliance backbone, or the quarterly KPI tied to an executive’s promotion. Touch that nerve, and they must abandon their defensive rhythm to put out the fire.
How to Identify the Opponent’s “Vital Nerve”
(Three Scanning Lines)
1. Resource Indicators
Where have they been unusually investing—people and capital—over the last three months?
That is likely their future bet.
2. Time-Sensitive Landmines
Regulatory deadlines, audit cutoffs, major contract renewals.
These are pressure points where time cannot be recovered.
3. Narrative Lifeline
What is the core theme of their annual conference?
Which KPI do investors obsess over?
If that storyline collapses, their valuation—or reputation—suffers.
Two Tactical Plays: Forcing Them Into the Fire
Tactic A | “Free Health Check” for Their Flagship Client
Strategy:
Target the competitor’s largest showcase client. Offer a free, tailored proof-of-concept or alternative solution demo.
Effect:
They must respond.
If they rush to defend, they reveal cost structures and strategic priorities.
If they don’t, you take their strategic rear base.
Tactic B | Narrative Interception (Pre-emptive Strike)
Strategy:
Three weeks before their annual launch event or shareholder meeting, release a targeted white paper or a high-profile customer-switch case study.
Effect:
Their “main stage” turns into a damage-control session.
They are forced to address your framing. Initiative shifts.
Critical Reminder
“Strike what they must rescue” is not about annihilation.
It is about forcing exposure.
When they scramble to contain the fire, cracks appear in what once looked like impregnable defenses.
That is your true entry point.
In One Sentence
The highest form of attack is not choosing what is easiest to strike—it is striking what keeps your opponent awake at night.
IV. Avoid Strength, Strike Weakness:
Don’t Collide Head-On—Hit the Soft Spot
Key Passage
“The form of an army is to avoid strength and strike weakness.”
— The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Plain Interpretation
Water flows away from high ground and toward low ground.
Likewise, victory in strategy comes from avoiding where the opponent is solidly defended and targeting the gaps where their defenses are thin.
Winners do not rely on firepower duels.
They rely on positioning.
Your resources do not need to exceed your opponent’s—
they only need to land precisely in the cracks they cannot cover.
True ROI does not come from “being stronger.”
It comes from “being present where no one else is.”
Recon Checklist: How to Precisely Find the “Weakness”
1. Neglected Zones
Areas your competitor considers low priority or “not worth the effort.”
Examples: outdated documentation, sluggish customer support, clunky legacy interfaces.
2. Over-Engineered Zones
Places where the competitor has overbuilt—too many features, rigid processes, inflexible pricing.
Users feel exhausted. That friction—and arrogance—is your entry point.
3. The Overlooked Segment
Customer groups mainstream players deem too small, too demanding, or too troublesome.
Examples: highly regulated niche industries, remote regions, or budget-constrained but high-growth emerging clients.
Action Examples
Product Strategy: Don’t Be “All-Around”—Be “Irreplaceable”
Strategy:
Stop competing on feature checklists. Compete on extreme specialization.
Example:
If your competitor is a large, all-in-one platform, you focus exclusively on “cross-border taxation + audit-ready compliance exports.”
You don’t need to win everywhere.
You only need to dominate the two metrics that hurt your customer the most.
In that narrow domain, you become the only viable choice.
Sales Strategy: Skip the Front Gate, Enter from the Flank
Strategy:
Avoid the heavily guarded headquarters procurement process. Enter through a non-core department or a low-risk proof of concept.
Example:
Once that side unit runs smoothly and builds internal credibility, you’ve already established a “fait accompli” inside the organization.
When you later move toward the core system, the competitor has no time—or political capital—to stop you.
In One Sentence
You don’t need to be stronger than your opponent—
you just need to be stronger where they cannot, or will not, defend.
V. March a Thousand Miles Without Fatigue:
True Speed Comes from Moving Through “Unoccupied Territory”
Key Passage
“To march a thousand miles without exhaustion is to travel through unopposed territory; to attack and surely take is to strike where he does not defend.”
— The Art of War
Plain Interpretation
Why do some teams rush forward breathlessly yet make little progress?
Because they insist on fighting along crowded roads.
A true strategist finds “unoccupied territory”—paths competitors underestimate or barely defend.
The route may appear longer, but without resistance, your actual advancement is faster.
Speed is not about running harder.
It is about choosing a road with less friction.
How to Identify Your “Unoccupied Territory”
(Find the Low-Resistance Path)
1. Perception Dimension (Avoid Technical Arms Races)
If everyone competes on AI model parameters, you compete on localized post-sales service or the simplest onboarding experience.
In that dimension, you stand alone.
2. Competitive Dimension (Avoid the Red Ocean)
If competitors chase marquee enterprise accounts, can you capture mid-sized firms urgently needing solutions but overlooked by giants?
There is no price war there—only real demand.
3. Decision-Making Dimension (Avoid Bureaucratic Swamps)
Which path has the shortest procurement cycle?
No five-department sign-offs. No six-month budget approvals.
Choose the path where someone can say “yes” immediately—that is your unoccupied ground.
Practical Examples
Regional Strategy
Instead of burning cash in first-tier battlefields like Taipei or Shanghai, secure second- and third-tier markets where regulatory standards are consistent but competition is sparse.
Build a replicable “standard template” there.
Then return to the core battlefield armed with proof, case studies, and momentum.
Implementation Strategy
Do not attempt to replace your competitor’s core system from day one—that is their most heavily guarded fortress.
Instead, introduce a plug-and-play add-on that does not disrupt existing architecture.
Slip past the defense line and embed yourself directly into the client’s daily workflow.
In One Sentence
Bypass the opponent’s most crowded gate—
and enter from where no one is standing guard.
VI. Victory Can Be Created:
Win by Design, Not by Luck
Key Passage
“Victory can be created. Though the enemy be numerous, he can be made unable to fight.”
— The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Plain Interpretation
Victory is not something you wait for—it is something you design.
Even if your opponent commands vast resources, once you sever their coordination and scatter their attention, their numbers become meaningless. They may have thousands of troops, yet be incapable of mounting a coherent battle.
A strong opponent is not the real threat.
The real threat is a strong opponent who can concentrate firepower.
Your objective is not to collide with their main force.
Your objective is to fragment it.
When the opponent is trapped in endless distractions and multi-front responses, their resources—no matter how large—become diluted at every point.
Two “Disassembly” Tactics: Prevent Them from Assembling Power
1. Misaligned Diversion (Exhaust the Enemy)
Method:
Release disruptions across different times and domains.
Week 1: regulatory debate.
Week 2: pricing adjustment.
Week 3: public relations announcement.
Effect:
The opponent is constantly firefighting.
They may have 100 people—but only 10 are responding to any given issue.
They never manage to gather all 100 into a decisive confrontation.
2. Compressed Timing (Sudden Overwhelm)
Method:
When the opponent is mentally drained and operationally scattered, launch a premeditated, flood-like offensive.
Effect:
While they are still assembling teams and scheduling meetings, you have already closed the deal and sealed the battlefield.
Real-World Case: Competitive Maneuvering
Strategy:
Schedule three industry forums—early month, mid-month, end-of-month—each featuring distinct vertical case studies.
Reality:
Your competitor’s core team must show up to all three, pulled into a guerrilla-style grind.
They are busy reacting and cannot focus on long-term strategic planning.
Result:
By month’s end, your brand owns the “first impression” across three niche sectors.
Your competitor may have greater resources—but cannot land a single concentrated counterpunch.
In One Sentence
If your opponent cannot simultaneously assemble people, capital, and focus, their size becomes a liability—not an advantage.
VII. The Ultimate Formlessness:
Principles Stay Constant; Execution Never Does
Key Passage
“The highest form of military disposition is to reach formlessness. In formlessness, even the deepest spies cannot perceive you, nor can the wisest strategists scheme against you… Thus victory in war is not repeated, but responds infinitely to circumstance.”
— The Art of War
Plain Interpretation
The most dangerous state in business competition is becoming predictable.
Once your competitor can forecast your reactions, calculate your cost structure, and anticipate your timing, they can engineer precise countermeasures.
Sun Tzu’s idea of “formlessness” means making it impossible for competitors—or even their most sophisticated analysts—to see your real playbook.
True victory is not repetition.
It is renewal.
How to Achieve Business “Formlessness”
1. Hide the Core Logic (Never Repeat the Same Win)
Do not allow competitors to extrapolate your next move from your last success.
If you won last time through aggressive pricing, next time you may win through exclusive licensing.
If that works, the following round may hinge on cross-industry partnerships.
When you have no fixed pattern, competitors cannot build a stable model around you.
2. Emit Dynamic Noise Signals
While advancing on your primary battlefield, continuously generate peripheral signals.
Let their intelligence teams struggle to distinguish:
Which moves are strategic priorities?
Which are smoke screens?
3. Reject Standardized Thinking
Your competitor wants you to follow industry-standard playbooks—because standards are predictable.
The ultimate formlessness lies here:
Every victory looks different.
They can see that you win.
They cannot decode how.
Practical Applications
Formless Pricing
Avoid rigid, publicly standardized pricing models.
Adopt dynamic pricing or modular value-based packaging across markets and customer segments.
If competitors cannot determine your profit floor, they cannot undercut you effectively.
Formless Marketing
Do not rely solely on predictable quarter-end promotions.
Sometimes lead with brand narrative.
Sometimes with technical breakthroughs.
Sometimes with subtle influencer infiltration.
When your marketing cadence becomes irregular and unpredictable, competitors cannot intercept your momentum in advance.
In One Sentence
Let your competitors witness your victories—
but never allow them to predict how you will win next time.
VIII. Armies Flow Like Water: Adapt to Terrain, Respond to the Enemy
Key Principle
“The form of an army is like water. Water avoids high ground and flows to low ground; an army avoids strength and strikes weakness. Water shapes its course according to the terrain; an army shapes victory according to the enemy. Thus, armies have no constant form, and water has no constant shape. One who can adapt to the enemy and seize victory is called ‘divine.’”
— The Art of War
Plain Interpretation
“Armies flow like water” doesn’t mean you should try to force the environment to fit your plan. Instead, it’s a reminder to adjust yourself to the landscape—to shift posture and path as circumstances change. Sometimes you go straight, sometimes you circumvent, sometimes you infiltrate, sometimes you build up a sudden surge. The key isn’t sticking to a fixed playbook—it’s letting your moves grow naturally from the situation.
Five Quick Self-Checks
1. Read the Terrain (Trend Awareness)
Who controls the high ground—where resistance is high and costs are steep?
Where is the low ground—where policy favors or user demand exists?
Don’t push against the slope; move with it to accelerate results.
2. Find the Low Points (Value Positioning)
Where are the market gaps? Where has the opponent left weaknesses?
Like water flowing downhill, your resources should go where resistance is lowest and return is highest.
3. Adjust the Flow (Rhythm Control)
Unclear situations? Store up resources like a deep pond—talent, technology, preparation.
When opportunity opens, release them like a flood—fast, precise, decisive.
4. Bend Around Obstacles (Flexibility)
Plan A blocked? Shift to Plan B as water would bend around a rock.
Remember: your goal (reaching the sea) stays constant, but your path (riverbed) can change anytime.
5. Shape the Flow (Ecosystem Design)
Top strategists not only adapt—they subtly guide the environment.
Adjust processes, standards, or influence channels to channel the opponent toward your intended outcome, like building canals for water to follow.
In One Sentence
“Abandon attachment to fixed paths; move with extreme flexibility, always flowing along the path of least resistance toward your goal.”
Conclusion: Become a Master of Battlefield Design
The core lesson of the Void and Substance chapter isn’t about being stronger—it’s about being smarter. It cultivates a dynamic, adaptive instinct, pulling you out of blind head-on clashes and back into the strategic control room:
- When launching an attack: Don’t confront the opponent’s strongest points. Instead, strike where they must respond—hold their “pressure points,” and watch their defenses crumble under stress.
- When defending: Don’t rely on walls to hold. Instead, remain invisible, letting the opponent exhaust resources chasing shadows.
- When navigating change: Don’t be rigid like ice. Flow like water—adapt to trends, adjust rhythm, shift paths—so every effort compounds into decisive advantage.
On the battlefield, there are no eternal formulas—only the optimal solution at any given moment.
True mastery isn’t about brute strength—it’s about deciding exactly how the battle will be fought.
Design the Fight. Flow like Water.
Exploring the meeting point of technology and the inner world is often a solitary journey—but a meaningful one.
If this article has brought you a moment of clarity or inspiration, you’re welcome to buy me a cup of coffee and support me in continuing this kind of thoughtful, in-depth writing.
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