23 | The Thirty-Six Stratagems

General Bao acting out Befriend the Distant, Attack the Near — General Bao demonstrates 遠交近攻 — Befriend the Distant, Attack the Near.

遠交近攻 distant · befriend · near · attack

Ally with those too far away to threaten you; press against the neighbour whose ground you can actually take.

今 Today

Your team allies warmly with a distant department that costs you nothing, while steadily absorbing the responsibilities of the adjacent team whose turf overlaps yours.

反 When it backfires

Neighbours talk. Attack the near while cozying up to the far, and your victims may just befriend each other — turning two small problems into one surrounded you.