ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses configurations of terrain best avoided and provides some general observations about the respective values of various physical aspects. It introduces a fundamental principle of terrain by conceptualizing the topography in terms of yin and yang and advising that both—entailing the orthodox and unorthodox—must be employed for effective command. The chapter describes five situations in which advancing to engage an enemy would be tactically inadvisable, all of which stem from the Art of War or are otherwise common to ancient military thought. It provides survival indices apparently based upon directional values, are the subject of intense speculation. The chapter also provides directional priorities, which would equally seem to lack any grounds for absoluteness, although they might have relative validity in limited situations. Finally, Sun Pin lists two further sets of five: terrains conducive to defeat and killing grounds.
