檀公三十六策，走是上计. “Of Lord Tan’s thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best.” The line is in the Book of Southern Qi, where thirty-six means simply “many.” The book called The Thirty-Six Stratagems came much later. Its earliest printed edition appeared in Chengdu in 1941, from a manuscript found at a book stall in Shaanxi.
Each stratagem has a short name. Number 6 is 声东击西, make a noise in the east and strike in the west. Number 16 is 欲擒故纵, let the enemy go in order to catch him. Number 17 is 抛砖引玉, throw out a brick to draw in jade.