MENTAL MODEL · M1017

Coup d'œil

RiskHigh supportMilitary Science

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

French for 'a glance.' It refers to a commander's intuitive ability to instantly (at a glance) identify terrain advantages, tactical weaknesses, and decisive moments on a chaotic battlefield.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

A goal for intuition training. Novices rely on data analysis; masters rely on Coup d'œil. In your field (e.g., reading code, reading charts, reading people), practice deliberately until you develop this 'see through at a glance' muscle memory.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

A Napoleonic term referring to a commander's intuitive judgment to instantly grasp key terrain, weaknesses, and opportunities in chaos. It is not mystical talent but pattern recognition in the subconscious from vast experience—experts match situations with past paradigms in milliseconds, bypassing step-by-step reasoning to 'see through' directly.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

Accumulate a large number of real cases and failure samples in your field to build a pattern library. In high-pressure situations, deliberately practice the scanning order of 'overall scan first, then details.' Afterward, use debriefing to compare intuitive judgments with outcomes to calibrate intuition. Confirm 'at a glance' conclusions with a quick verification loop
do not blindly trust them.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C5%93ilZH · Explicit
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