Ilustrasi Inflict injury on oneself to win trust
Military / Strategy / Classical Texts
Military / Strategy / Classical Texts

Inflict injury on oneself to win trust

Because people assume self-harm is real, visible sacrifice can make deception believable.

Alias
苦肉計 / Set 6. Defeat Stratagems
Domain
Strategy, negotiation, positioning, competition, conflict

Chinese Maxim

  • Chinese title: 苦肉計
  • Chinese maxim: 人不自害，受害必真；假真真假，間以得行。
  • Plain-English rendering: Because people assume self-harm is real, visible sacrifice can make deception believable.

How It Works

  • Simple definition: Pay a visible cost to make the story credible.
  • Simple explanation: Real sacrifice can buy trust faster than words can.

Usage Example

  • Accept a short-term loss publicly if it makes the long-term positioning believable.