If equally matched, we can offer battle;
Li Ch‘üan, followed by Ho Shih, gives the following paraphrase:
主客力敵惟善者戰 “If attackers and attacked are equally matched in
strength, only the able general will fight.” He thus takes 能 as
though it were 能者, which is awkward.
if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy;
The _T‘u Shu_ has 守 instead of 逃, which is hardly distinguishable
in sense from 避 in the next clause. The meaning, “we can _watch_ the
enemy,” is certainly a great improvement on the above; but
unfortunately there appears to be no very good authority for the
variant. Chang Yü reminds us that the saying only applies if the
other factors are equal; a small difference in numbers is often
more than counterbalanced by superior energy and discipline.
if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.