苦肉计 illustration

苦肉计

Inflict Injury on Oneself to Win the Enemy's Trust

Visible sacrifice makes a deception believable because people assume self-harm is genuine.

Aliases
Inflict Injury on Oneself to Win Trust / Defeat Stratagems
Domains
stratagem, negotiation, positioning, competition, conflict

Stratagem Name and Original Text

  • Stratagem Name: 苦肉计
  • Original Text: 人不自害，受害必真；假真真假，间以得行。童蒙之吉，顺以巽也。
  • Translation: Visible sacrifice makes a deception believable because people assume self-harm is genuine.

How It Works

  • Concise Definition: Pay a visible cost to make your claim credible.
  • Explanation: Real sacrifice can earn trust faster than words.

Usage Example

  • If a public short-term loss makes a long-term positioning believable, accept it openly.
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