Definition

1. Noun:
   • The thirty-six stratagems: A collective term referring to the complete set of all possible schemes, tricks, or stratagems one can employ, especially in a competitive or adversarial situation. It implies a wide array of cunning plans and is often used to suggest that when one plan fails, another can be tried from this extensive repertoire.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Hắn ta biết ba mươi sáu chước, chước nào cũng cao. (He knows the thirty-six stratagems; each one is cunning.)
  • Đừng lo, ba mươi sáu chước, chước nào cũng được. (Don't worry, with the thirty-six stratagems, one of them will work.)
  • Kế hoạch A thất bại, nhưng còn ba mươi sáu chước kia mà. (Plan A failed, but there are still thirty-six other stratagems.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is often used rhetorically to express confidence that there are many alternative solutions or tricks available. It can carry a slightly cunning, shrewd, or even deceptive connotation, depending on context.
  • Trong đàm phán, anh ấy luôn sẵn ba mươi sáu chước. (In negotiation, he always has the thirty-six stratagems ready.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tam thập lục kế (n): The Sino-Vietnamese term for "The Thirty-Six Stratagems," often referring more specifically to the classical Chinese military treatise.
• Mưu kế (n): Stratagem, scheme.
• Kế sách (n): Plan, strategy.

Synonyms

• Bag of tricks: A collection of clever techniques or methods.
• Arsenal of stratagems: A full range of strategic plans.
• Cunning plans: Clever and often deceptive schemes.

Related Idioms

• Ba mươi sáu chước, chước nào cũng hay: Literally "Thirty-six stratagems, each one is excellent." Used to praise someone's resourcefulness or to suggest that any option from a set is good.
• Ba mươi sáu chước, chước cuối cùng là chuồn: A humorous modern extension meaning "Thirty-six stratagems, the last one is to run away." It jokes that when all else fails, the final stratagem is to flee.