Empty Fort Strategy
E709538
The Empty Fort Strategy is a famous Chinese military stratagem, attributed to Zhuge Liang, in which one feigns calm confidence and vulnerability to deceive a stronger enemy into retreating.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Chinese stratagem
ⓘ
Three Kingdoms-era stratagem ⓘ military stratagem ⓘ psychological warfare tactic ⓘ |
| aimsTo |
avoid direct confrontation
ⓘ
induce enemy retreat ⓘ |
| appliedIn |
business strategy metaphors
ⓘ
military strategy ⓘ negotiation tactics ⓘ |
| associatedWithEvent | defense of Xicheng by Zhuge Liang ⓘ |
| attributedTo | Zhuge Liang NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| category | Thirty-Six Stratagems NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| coreTactic |
deception of a stronger enemy
ⓘ
deliberate display of vulnerability ⓘ feigned calmness in the face of danger ⓘ |
| dependsOn |
enemy commander’s caution
ⓘ
enemy commander’s respect for the defender’s abilities ⓘ |
| describedIn | Romance of the Three Kingdoms NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeName |
Empty City Stratagem
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Empty City Strategy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasChineseName | 空城计 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalContext | Three Kingdoms period of China NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced | later Chinese military thought ⓘ |
| involves |
bluffing
ⓘ
exploiting enemy overcaution ⓘ risk-taking ⓘ |
| listedAs | Stratagem 32 in the Thirty-Six Stratagems NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| opponentDeceived | Sima Yi NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| referencedIn |
Chinese folklore
ⓘ
Chinese opera ⓘ Chinese popular culture ⓘ |
| reliesOn |
commander’s reputation
ⓘ
enemy fear of ambush ⓘ enemy suspicion ⓘ psychological intimidation ⓘ |
| requires |
accurate assessment of enemy psychology
ⓘ
disciplined performance of calm behavior ⓘ |
| risk | catastrophic defeat if enemy calls the bluff ⓘ |
| teaches |
importance of reputation in warfare
ⓘ
use of deception to compensate for weakness ⓘ value of psychological advantage over numerical strength ⓘ |
| typicalAction |
commander appearing relaxed and unguarded
ⓘ
engaging in leisurely activities such as playing a zither ⓘ opening city gates ⓘ removing visible defenses ⓘ |
| typicalSetting | apparently undefended city or fort ⓘ |
| usedBy | Zhuge Liang NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.