Move not unless you see an advantage;
起, the _Yü Lan’s_ variant for 動, is adopted by Li Ch‘üan and Tu Mu.
use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not
unless the position is critical.
Sun Tzŭ may at times appear to be over-cautious, but he never goes
so far in that direction as the remarkable passage in the _Tao Tê
Ching_, ch. 69: 吾不敢爲主而爲客不敢進寸而退尺 “I dare not take the
initiative, but prefer to act on the defensive; I dare not advance
an inch, but prefer to retreat a foot.”