It means the natural climate conditions, geographical environment and popular support during the battle. This sentence comes from "Mencius Gongsun Chouxia". Excerpts from the original article are as follows:
Mencius said: The weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people. A city of three miles and a country of seven miles, if you attack it by surrounding it, you will not be victorious; if you attack it by surrounding it, you will definitely have the right time; however, the one who will not win is because the good time is not as good as the right place. The city is not too high, the pond is not not deep, the army and revolution are not not strong, and the rice and millet are not not abundant. If we leave it by force, the favorable terrain is not as good as the harmony of people.
The translation is as follows:
Confucius said: "A favorable season and climate are not as good as a favorable terrain, and a favorable terrain is not as important as winning the hearts of the people and uniting the top and bottom. A city wall within three miles of the surrounding area, and a city wall of seven miles surrounding. The city must be surrounded and attacked, but it must be that the season and climate are conducive to combat. Since it is impossible to win, it is because the season and climate that are suitable for combat are not as good as the terrain that is conducive to combat. p>
The city wall is not too high, the moat is not too deep, the weapons are not not sharp, the armor is not not strong, and the food is not insufficient; (soldiers) abandon the city and leave it, (because) the terrain is not less conducive to combat than
Extended information:
Interpretation of "the right time, the right place and the right people":
The relationship between heaven, earth and people has always been a problem. Which of the three is the most important has become a topic of discussion. As we quoted in the commentary, Xunzi once discussed the issues of time, location, and people from the perspective of agricultural production. There is no distinction between who is important and who is not, but all three are equally important.
Mencius here mainly analyzes and discusses the relationship between weather, location, and people from a military perspective. The point of view is clear: “The weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people. " Among the three, "people and people" are the most important and decisive factor, followed by "geographical convenience" and "timing".
This is consistent with his emphasis on people's subjective initiative At the same time, it is also inseparable from his purpose of discussing the relationship between time, place, and people. It is from emphasizing the importance of "people and people" that he came to the conclusion that "the one who succeeds will be helped, and the one who loses will be helped." The Taoist man has few helpers". This leads the problem from military to political, and in fact returns to his "cliché" topic of "benevolent government".