The Thirty-Six Stratagems
The classic Chinese manual of thirty-six schemes for war, politics, and the group chat — six chapters of six, ordered from when you hold the advantage down to when you are frankly losing and the last scheme is simply leave. Each four-character saying gets a plain gloss, a 今 Today example that drags it into modern life, and a 反 When it backfires note that names the cost. The illustrations star General Bao, a panda who looks entirely harmless and is not — a joke that happens to be the lesson: the friendliest face in the room is often the one running the play.