Listen to this articlebù zhàn zài wŏ 不战在我
It Is Entirely One’s Own Decision Not to Fight.
若无胜算就不与敌人交战。是否交战取决于我，而不可受制于敌。这是古人提出的一种军事思想。“不战”并非消极避战。它的意思是说：当形势不利于我而利于敌的时候，我应避免与敌正面交锋，尤其要避免战略决战；不能因敌之动而仓促交战或被动应战，而应以持久防御使敌疲惫，同时设法调动敌人，迫敌露出破绽，然后乘隙出击、反攻，战而胜之。它强调的是在战争中要牢牢掌握主动权，不打无把握之仗。
To fight or not to fight is one’s own decision, not the enemy’s. Do not engage the enemy if victory is not guaranteed. This is a principle of military operations proposed by ancient Chinese. “Not to engage the enemy” does not mean passively avoiding confrontation, but means to avoid direct confrontation when the situation favors the enemy. One should not rush or be forced into confrontation just to respond to an enemy’s move. Instead, opt for a sustained defense to wear the enemy out and move them in a way that forces them to reveal their vulnerabilities. Then seize the opportunity to attack or counter-attack and win the battle. This concept emphasizes the importance of taking control in waging a war and advises against fighting when victory is not assured.
引例 Citations：
◎故善战者，致人而不致于人。（《孙子兵法·虚实》）
（所以善于指挥作战的人，能调动敌人而不为敌人所调动。）
Therefore, a competent commander can move around the enemy instead of being moved. (The Art of War)
◎孙武云：“我不欲战者，画地而守之，敌不得与我战者，乖其所之也。”敌有人焉，则交绥之间未可图也，故曰不战在我。（《李卫公问对》卷下》）
（孙武说：“我若不想交战，则我据地结阵防御，敌人也无法和我交战，从而迫使敌人改变其进攻方向。”敌兵强大，进退之间我无法取胜，所以说若无胜算就不与敌人交战。）
Sun Wu said, “If I do not want to engage, then I take a position to defend myself and make my enemy unable to engage me. Thus, I can force my enemy to change the direction of attack.” A powerful enemy can make it impossible for me to win either by moving backward or forward. That’s why I say do not engage the enemy if victory is not guaranteed. (Li Jing Answering Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty)
