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The Thirty-Six Stratagems are divided into a preface, six chapters containing six stratagems each, and an afterword that was incomplete with missing text. The first three chapters generally describe tactics for use in advantageous situations, whereas the last three chapters contain stratagems that are more suitable for disadvantageous situations. The original text of the Thirty-Six Stratagems has a laconic style that is common to Classical Chinese. Each proverb is accompanied by a short comment, no longer than a sentence or two, that explains how said proverb is applicable to military tactics. These 36 Chinese proverbs are related to 36 battle scenarios in Chinese history and folklore, predominantly of the Warring States Period and the Three Kingdoms Period.

Stratagem categories Senger divides stratagems into six categories:

Simulation or Masking : 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 24, 25, Dissimulation or Feint : 7, 27, 29, 32, 34 Information or Disclosure : 13, 26, Exploiting, taking Advantage : 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 28, 30, 31, 33 Linking more than one stratagem : 35 Flight Stratagems : 9, 11, 21, 36 Cungen GE, a Chinese researcher of 36 Stratagems from the perspective of modern business competition, supports the ready-made six groups of classification of these stratagems in the book of Thirty-six Stratagems (The Secret of War):

-The Stratagems of Winning; -The Stratagems of Defending; -The Stratagems of Attacking; -The Stratagems of Scuffling; -The Stratagems of Merging; -The Stratagems of Losing.