Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected.
An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not.
You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.
Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.
An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not.
You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.
Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.
From "Sun Tzu on the Art of War - The Oldest Military Treatise in the World"
Translated from the Chinese By Lionel Giles, M.A. (1910)
Discussion:
In this section, attack and defence are translated into treatment and care, respectively. The enemy is translated to the obstacles in treatment and care. The sentences require creativity in translation and the last paragraph is the pinnacle of them. I read carefully the original contents in the Chinese text and decided to rewrite that part completely regardless of the English translation. I think this is much inline with the original text even outside of the healthcare context.Translation:
Intervene at points where the health conditions are quick to deteriorate; reallocate swiftly to places where resources are not fulfilled.
A health team may treat a great number of patients without distress, if it operates through streamlined processes where the disruption is not.
You can be sure of succeeding in your treatments if you only treat cases which are not contraindicated.You can ensure the safety of your care if you only follow steps that cannot be mistaken.
Hence that clinician is skilful in treatment whose case does not see what to counter; and he is skilful in care whose case does not see what to mistake.
No specific plans or instructions can ensure the flawless treatment and errorless care. Flexibility and proactivity are the keys for quality and safety of healthcare.
Ray Murakami
A health team may treat a great number of patients without distress, if it operates through streamlined processes where the disruption is not.
You can be sure of succeeding in your treatments if you only treat cases which are not contraindicated.You can ensure the safety of your care if you only follow steps that cannot be mistaken.
Hence that clinician is skilful in treatment whose case does not see what to counter; and he is skilful in care whose case does not see what to mistake.
No specific plans or instructions can ensure the flawless treatment and errorless care. Flexibility and proactivity are the keys for quality and safety of healthcare.
