[Chinese Learning] Chinese Business Strategy and Culture

When it comes to war strategy and business strategy, in the eyes of the Chinese, they are the same thing. The only difference is in tactics.

In terms of business tactics, the Chinese believe that waiting for the right moment to strike is very important, since one can achieve one's goal with a minimum expenditure of energy. There is even a Chinese saying describing this: 事半功倍 which means to magnify one's effect while expending only half the energy. In Chinese culture, someone who waits to strike at just the right moment is considered very intelligent.

In Chinese strategic thinking, often the end game is not winning, but surviving.
In Chinese strategy, there are two masters: Sun Tzu and Zhuge Liang. Significantly, neither won major battles. Instead, they helped their lords to fight and survive with very limited resources.

A common phrase is "We can't do this now, the general environment doesn't permit it". 现在不能做,大环境不允许。This means "If we do this now, we may have to pay a heavy price."