ChinesePod
aChinesePod
@ 50412 商戰與兵法
A 哎！現在的商業競爭實在是太激烈了。以後可叫我們怎麼掙錢呀？
āi! xiànzài de shāngyè jìngzhēng shízài shì tài jīliè le. yǐhòu kě jiào wǒmen zěnme zhèngqián yā?
These days business competition is so intense! How will we be able to make any money?
B 可不是嘛，要想在商場上戰勝對手賺大錢，不僅要有勇，更得有謀才行，所以我最近正研究《孫子兵法》呢。
kě bùshì ma, yāoxiǎng zài shāngchǎng shàng zhànshèng duìshǒu zhuàn dàqián, bùjǐn yào yǒu yǒng, gèng děi yǒu móu cái xíng, suǒyǐ wǒ zuìjìn zhèng yánjiū《sūnzǐbīngfǎ》ne.
Ain't it the truth. If you want to beat your opponents in the marketplace and make a lot of money, it's not enough to be bold. You've gotta have some schemes. So I've been studying Sunzi's ``The Art of War" lately.
A 《孫子兵法》，那不是中國古代的兵書嗎？你又不打仗看它幹嗎？
sūnzǐbīngfǎ》, nà bù shì Zhōngguó gǔdài de bīngshū ma? nǐ yòu bù dǎzhàng kàn tā gànma?
Isn't ``The Art of War" an ancient Chinese book on military strategy? You're not a soldier-- why are you reading that?
B 這你就有所不知了。“商場如戰場”，軍事謀略也可以運用到商戰中。事實上，現在國內外的許多企業家都把《孫子兵法》當作商業教科書來學習呢。
zhè nǐ jiù yǒusuǒbùzhī le. `` shāngchǎng rú zhànchǎng" , jūnshì móulǜe yě kěyǐ yùnyòngdào shāngzhàn zhōng. shìshíshàng, xiànzài guónèiwài de xǔduō qǐyèjiā dōu bǎ《sūnzǐbīngfǎ》dàngzuò shāngyè jiàokēshū lái xuéxí ne.
You don't get it. ``The field of commerce is like a field of battle." You can use military strategies in the business world. A lot of domestic and foreign companies are using ``The Art of War" as a textbook for doing business.
A 真這麼有用嗎？快跟我說說。說不定它可以讓我成為富翁呢。
zhēn zhème yǒuyòng ma? kuài gēn wǒ shuōshuo. shuōbudìng tā kěyǐ ràng wǒ chéngwéi fùwēng ne.
Is it really that useful? Quick, tell me about it. Maybe it'll make me a millionaire.
B 就拿《孫子兵法》的第一篇來說吧，孫子提出了決定戰爭勝負的五個基本要素，即人和、天時、地利、將領、法制。如果應用到現代商戰中，這五個要素不正好可以理解為企業內部的團結性、競爭的時機、競爭的優勢、管理者和企業的管理制度嗎？
jiù ná《sūnzǐbīngfǎ》de dìyī piān láishuō ba, Sūnzǐ tíchū le juédìng zhànzhēng shèngfù de wǔ ge jīběn yàosù, jí rénhé, tiānshí, dìlì, jiànglǐng, fǎzhì. rúguǒ yìngyòngdào xiàndài shāngzhàn zhōng, zhè wǔ ge yàosù bù zhènghǎo kěyǐ lǐjiě wéi qǐyè nèibù de tuánjié xìng, jìngzhēng de shíjī, jìngzhēng de yòushì, guǎnlǐzhě hé qǐyè de guǎnlǐ zhìdù ma?
Well, let's talk about the first chapter in ``The Art of War." Sunzi mentions the five fundamental factors that determine victory or loss in a war. They are: popular support, timing, geography, leadership, and the rule of law. If you wanted to use these in the modern business world, wouldn't they translate very nicely as: teamwork within the company, opportunities for competition, competitive advantages, managers and management's rules?
A 嗯，聽你一說，好像還真是這麼回事。把握好了這五個要素，財富也就滾滾而來了。
ng4, tīng nǐ yī shuō, hǎoxiàng hái zhēnshì zhème huí shì. bǎwò hǎo le zhè wǔ ge yàosù, cáifù yě jiù gǔngǔn ér lái le.
Ah, to hear you tell it, it seems like it really is just that way. If you've got a good grasp on these five factors, the money will just start rolling in.
B 呵呵，你真逗。其實孫子的許多軍事主張，比如“知彼知己，百戰不殆”、出奇制勝等等，早已是公認的現代商戰的重要法則了。我越研究越覺得這本書應該改名為《孫子商法》。
āā, nǐ zhēn dòu. qíshí Sūnzǐ de xǔduō jūnshì zhǔzhāng, bǐrú `` zhībǐzhījǐ, bǎizhànbùdài" , chūqízhìshèng děngděng, zǎoyǐ shì gōngrèn de xiàndài shāngzhàn de zhòngyào fǎzé le. wǒ yuè yánjiū yuè juéde zhè běn shū yīnggāi gǎimíng wéi《Sūnzǐ shāngfǎ》.
Ha ha you're really funny. Actually, a lot of Sunzi's advice was accepted early on as good rules for doing business. Some examples are ``If you know yourself, and you know your enemy, you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles," and ``Use surprise tactics to achieve victory." The more I study this book, the more I think it should be called ``The Art of Business."
A 難得聽你這麼誇獎一本書，看來我是不買不行了。不過以我現在的漢語水平，看古文還是有點吃力。
nándé tīng nǐ zhème kuājiǎng yī běn shū, kànlai wǒ shì bù mǎi bù xíng le. bùguò yǐ wǒ xiànzài de hànyǔ shuǐpíng, kàn gǔwén hái shì yǒudiǎn chīlì.
It's rare to hear you praise a book this way. It looks like I'll just have to buy it. But with my current Chinese level, it will be pretty tough for me to understand classical Chinese.
B 這點你就放心吧，《孫子兵法》已經被翻譯成多國語言了。不過我還是建議你去買有現代漢語譯文的版本，這樣既可以學兵法又可以學漢語，一舉兩得啊。
zhèdiǎn nǐ jiù fàngxīn ba, 《sūnzǐbīngfǎ》yǐjīng bèi fānyì chéng duō guó yǔyán le. bùguò wǒ háishì jiànyì nǐ qù mǎi yǒu xiàndàihànyǔ yìwén de bǎnběn, zhèyàng jì kěyǐ xué bīngfǎ yòu kěyǐ xué hànyǔ, yìjǔliǎngdé ā.
Don't worry. ``The Art of War" has already been translated into many different languages. But I still recommend that you buy a version with a modern Chinese translation. That way you can study both the art of war and also learn Chinese. You'll kill two birds with one stone.
A 有道理，可是聽說這本書都是理論，會不會很枯燥？你知道我是最害怕那些通篇都是理論的書了。
yǒu dàolǐ, kěshì tīngshuō zhè běn shū dōu shì lǐlùn, huìbuhuì hěn kūzào? nǐ zhīdào wǒ shì zuì hàipà nàxiē tōngpiān dōu shì lǐlùn de shū le.
That makes sense. But I hear this book is pure theory. Won't it be really dull and dry? You know how I feel about books that are completely theory.
B 那你就當作是對自己的挑戰吧。其實理論有理論的好處。各人可以根據自己的理解，聯繫實際，靈活運用。你要是想看具體的案例分析，網上也能很容易地找到。對了，你還可以去看看《三十六計》。
nà nǐ jiù dàngzuò shì duì zìjǐ de tiǎozhàn ba. qíshí lǐlùn yǒu lǐlún de hǎochu. gè rén kěyǐ gēnjù zìjǐ de lǐjiě, liánxì shíjì, línghuó yùnyòng. nǐ yàoshì xiǎng kàn jùtǐ de ànlì fēnxī, wǎngshàng yě néng hěn róngyì de zhǎodào. duìle, nǐ hái kěyǐ qù kànkan《sānshíliùjì》.
Take it on as a challenge for yourself. Actually, there are some benefits to theory. Everyone can make connections to real life and use it flexibly based on their own understanding. And if you want to read some concrete analyses of case studies, you can find a lot of materials online. Oh, right-- you can also check out ``The Thirty-six Strategems."
A 《三十六計》？也是兵書嗎？
sānshíliùjì》? yě shì bīngshū ma?
``The Thirty-six Strategems?" Is it another military book?
B 是啊，那裡面有許多謀略故事，讀起來更有趣味性，在商界也很受歡迎。
shì ā, nà limiàn yǒu xǔduō móulǜe gùshi, dúqǐlai gèng yǒu qùwèi xìng, zài shāngjiè yě hěn shòu huānyíng.
Yeah, it has a lot of stories about strategy. It's a more interesting read. And it's also very popular in the business world.
A 聽起來好像《三十六計》比《孫子兵法》更適合我。
tīngqǐlái hǎoxiàng《sānshíliùjì》bǐ《sūnzǐbīngfǎ》gèng shìhé wǒ.
It sounds like ``The Thirty-six Strategems" is more suitable for me than ``The Art of War."
B 其實這兩本書各有千秋，你不妨都買來看看。
qíshí zhè liǎng běn shū gèyǒuqiānqiū, nǐ bùfáng dōu mǎi lai kànkan.
Actually, each book has something to recommend it. There'd be no harm in buying both.
Key Vocabulary
有所不知 yǒusuǒbùzhī there is something one doesn't know
謀略 móulǜe strategy
要素 yàosù key factor
出奇制勝 chūqízhìshèng to prevail by a surprise move
吃力 chīlì strenuous
一舉兩得 yìjǔliǎngdé to kill two birds with one stone
枯燥 kūzào dull and dry
通篇 tōngpiān whole article
各有千秋 gèyǒuqiānqiū each has his strong points
Supplementary Vocabulary
------
======