For 爭 the _Yü Lan_ reads 事.
to ally himself with all and sundry,
天下, as in § 6, stands for 諸侯 “the feudal princes,” or the
states ruled by them.
nor does he foster the power of other states. He carries out his own
secret designs,
For 信 (read _shên_^1) in the meaning of 伸, cf. VIII. § 8. The
commentators are unanimous on this point, and we must therefore
beware of translating 信己之私 by “secretly self-confident” or the
like. Capt. Calthrop (omitting 之私) has: “he has confidence in
himself.”
keeping his antagonists in awe.
The train of thought appears to be this: Secure against a
combination of his enemies. 能絶天下之交惟得伸己之私志威而無外交者 “he
can afford to reject entangling alliances and simply pursue his
own secret designs, his prestige enabling him to dispense with
external friendships.” (Li Ch‘üan.)
Thus he is able to capture their cities and overthrow their kingdoms.
This paragraph, though written many years before the Ch‘in State
became a serious menace, is not a bad summary of the policy by
which the famous Six Chancellors gradually paved the way for her
final triumph under Shih Huang Ti. Chang Yü, following up his
previous note, thinks that Sun Tzŭ is condemning this attitude of
cold-blooded selfishness and haughty isolation. He again refers 其
to the warlike prince, thus making it appear that in the end he is
bound to succumb.