Stratagem 23: Befriending the Distant While Attacking the Near (远交近攻)

Core Definition

核心释义

Form alliances with distant powers while attacking nearby enemies. Avoid fighting on multiple fronts simultaneously.

形禁势格，利从近取，害以远隔。

Historical Origin

历史典故

The Classic Story

The state of Qin used this strategy to conquer China. By forming alliances with distant states (Qi, Chu, Yan) while attacking neighboring ones (Han, Wei, Zhao), Qin avoided coalition wars and conquered states one by one.

秦国以此策略统一天下。与远方国家（齐、楚、燕）结盟，同时攻打邻国（韩、魏、赵），避免多线作战，逐个征服。

Modern Applications

现代应用

◆Partnering with non-competing firms to focus on direct competitors
◆Building relationships with regulators while challenging immediate market rivals
◆Alliances with foreign companies to strengthen position against local competitors
◆Collaborating with adjacent industries to compete more effectively in your core market

Supplementary Case Studies

补充案例分析

Google's Alliance Strategy

Google partners with distant companies (Samsung in hardware, various ISPs) while competing fiercely with nearby rivals (Microsoft in productivity, Amazon in cloud). The alliances with distant parties strengthen Google against its immediate competitors.

谷歌与远方公司合作（三星硬件、各ISP），同时与邻近对手激烈竞争（微软的生产力工具、亚马逊的云计算）。与远方结盟增强了谷歌对抗直接对手的能力。

Qin Unification Strategy

The state of Qin formed alliances with distant Qi and Chu while conquering neighboring Han, Wei, and Zhao one by one. This prevented the formation of a grand coalition and allowed Qin to grow incrementally until it unified China.

秦国与远方的齐、楚结盟，同时逐一征服邻近的韩、魏、赵。这防止了大联盟的形成，使秦国能逐个壮大，最终统一天下。

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