Notebook cover calligraphy

[kahnkamp]

Dear friends 

I bought a notebook with beautiful leather cover and a Chinese writing. I would use it as a personal diary. However, I do not know what it says on the cover. Could anyone help me in the translation? Thank you, Kahn.

[MPhillips]

"Know yourself, know the enemy, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles." - Mao Zedong

[MPhillips]

Sorry, I forgot to credit the translator, John Minford. For 百戰百勝 I think I'd prefer "you'll be invincible", but then again I'm not a prof. of translation studies at the Chinese U. of HK! I have to admit Prof. Minford's trans. scans nicely, like a line of poetry.

[imron]

"Know yourself, know the enemy, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles." - Mao Zedong Sun Tzu

 

Edit:  I should have looked at the photo   The notebook is calligraphy signed by Mao Zedong, with the sentence originally coming from Sun Tzu's "The Art of War".

[MPhillips]

Yes indeed, but it's Mao's calligraphy.

[imron]

Yes, I posted before looking at the picture.  I've edited my post.

[MPhillips]

Great quote, super calligraphy, nifty notebook!

[skylee]

That is hardly "super" calligraphy.

[Lu]

I quite like the callipgraphy actually. I'm hardly an expert, but I think Mao was generally a good calligrapher.

[aone]

“知己知彼，百戰百勝” - 毛澤東於1950年5月7日；originally “知己知彼，百戰不殆” from 《孫子兵法》（《The Art of War》）by  孫武 （Sun Wu）

 

MAO changed 不殆(not lose the war) to 百勝(win the war) which obviously means the same.

[MPhillips]

原来如此！ Thanks Aone!