Rigid Adherence
Updated 2026-08-22
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Mo shou refers to Mozi's skill in defending cities, an extremely strong, multi-layered defensive system with no blind angle, later also the pejorative mo shou cheng gui for clinging to old rules. In strategy it means building defense in depth, and in business it means constructing moats of patents and switching costs so thoroughly that the attacker is exhausted while you never attack.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Identify buildable moats: locate which barriers, such as patents or switching costs, you can actually construct. - Build depth, not points: layer multiple barriers so there is no single weak angle to break. - Keep watching: scan for external change so defense does not harden into rigidity.
Anchor fast decisions
A layered defense with no blind spot forces the attacker to pay cost at every layer while gaining nothing, so attrition accumulates on one side only. The fortifier wins by remaining unbroken, because an attacker who cannot find an angle spends resources until the attack stops itself.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A2%A8%E5%AD%90verified
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