將敗二十條
Twenty Causes of a General's Defeat
將敗：一曰不能而自能。二曰驕。三曰貪於位。四曰貪於財。[五曰□。]六曰輕。七曰遲。八曰寡勇。九曰勇而弱。十曰寡信。十一[曰]..十四曰寡決。十五曰緩。十六曰怠。十七曰□。十八曰賊。十九曰自私。廿曰自亂。多敗者多失。
The causes of a general's defeat: First, lacking ability but believing oneself able. Second, arrogance. Third, greed for position. Fourth, greed for wealth. Fifth, [lacuna]. Sixth, recklessness. Seventh, slowness. Eighth, lack of courage. Ninth, brave but weak. Tenth, lack of trustworthiness. Eleventh, [lacuna]... Fourteenth, indecisiveness. Fifteenth, laxity. Sixteenth, negligence. Seventeenth, [lacuna]. Eighteenth, cruelty. Nineteenth, selfishness. Twentieth, creating one's own disorder. Many defeats come from many such failings.
Notes
This terse catalog of twenty character flaws that lead to defeat is presented without elaboration — suggesting it may have served as a checklist or memorization aid for military trainees. Items 11-13 are lost due to bamboo strip damage. The list moves from cognitive failures (overestimating oneself) through emotional failings (arrogance, greed) to behavioral defects (slowness, negligence, cruelty). The concluding statement — 'many defeats come from many failings' — implies that a single flaw may be survivable but accumulation is fatal.