[Author’s analysis - Murphy’s law is a foreign “slang”, which means it is equivalent to domestic idioms, such as: chopping wires with a kitchen knife in hand, sparks and lightning all the way!]

Murphy’s Law, whether it is translated as Murphy’s Law, is it theorem or the Mofei’s theorem. This is a common slang term used in the Western world. Its main content is: If things are at risk of going bad, no matter how small the possibility is, it will always happen. It is said that it was first founded by an aerospace engineer named Edward A. Murphy, and was widely cited in fields related to aerospace machinery. However, it gradually entered the category of idioms, and its connotation was given infinite creativity and many variations appeared. Cannonical Murphy’s Laws of Combat is one of them (judging from the content of some entries, I suspect it was summarized during the Vietnam War).

I first saw 33 battlefield versions of the Murphy Law. Recently, I often found that some websites or forums have only 26 reduced versions, and they are also called "US Military Operation Manual" (I have to BS this article to treat Murphy Law as a combat manual. There are more than 140 real US Military Operation Manuals. But they even have a special manual for dental care in combat areas. Don't believe it? Click this link to see, this is only a public part). Some time ago, I accidentally saw someone reprinting a total of 140 versions. I think this is probably a full version, so I tried to translate it on a whim.

Thanks to lzx0503, p210, Fat Brother, AKAK545, solo12, Tiger Jia 1, Huang Yaoshi and other QBQers for their opinions and helps on the translation content, and thanks to the good kids for their suggestions. This rule is really not easy to translate, especially the use of a lot of irony, puns, and quotations. Many translation results cannot perfectly achieve "faithfulness and vulgarity", so I have to use brackets to help readers (especially non-military enthusiasts) understand. - Why isn't it "faithfulness and elegant"? These slangs are not swearing, and it will not fit the original meaning if they become more elegant. However, a good translation is not translated, but thoughtful. Now this version is not necessarily the most appropriate version. Everyone is welcome to make better suggestions.

1. Friendly fire - isn't.?

Friendly firepower is not friendly at all. (The US military term Friendly fire refers to "accidentally injured by one's own people")

2. Recoilless rifles - aren't.?

The recoil force of the recoilless cannon is very strong.

3. Suppressive fires - won't.?

Suppressing firepower can't suppress anything.

4. You are not Superman; Marines and fighter pilots take note.?

You are not Superman, Marines and fighter pilots should pay special attention to this.

5. A sucking chest wound is Nature’s way of telling you to slow down.?

If you get a big hole in your chest, you will naturally stop. (sucking means bloodshed)

6. If it’s stupid but it works, it isn’t stupid.?

If a stupid method works, it is not a stupid method.

7. Try to look uniform; the enemy may be low on ammo and not want to waste a bullet on you.?

Pretend to be an irrelevant person, the enemy may not have many bullets and do not want to waste it on you.

8. If at first you don’t succeed, call in an air strike.?

If your attack fails, call for air strike support immediately.

9. If you are forward of your position, your artillery will fall short.?

Whenever you start attacking, the artillery will get closer and closer.

10. Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself.?

Never stay in the same fox pit with your comrades who are braver than you.

11. Never go to bed with anyone crazier than yourself.?

Never sleep with someone who is crazyer than you.

12. Never forget that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.?

Never forget that the weapons you have in your hands are made by the lowest bid contractor.

13. If your attack is going really well, it's an ambush.?

If your attack goes well, you must be trapped.

14. The enemy diversity you’re ignoring is their main attack.?

The enemy soldier you thought was moving was actually the main attacking force.

15. The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions: a. When they're ready. b. When you're not.?

Enemies will always launch attacks when two of the following situations occur: 1) When they are ready; 2) When you are not ready.

16. No OPLAN ever survives initial contact.?

Any combat plan will turn into waste paper after receiving the enemy. (The early 33 translations translated as "fighting fire", but contact means "discovering enemy tracks" in the US military terms. It is not necessarily from both sides, but sometimes only from one side.)

17. There is no such thing as a perfect plan.?

The perfect plan does not exist.

18. Five second fuses always burn three seconds.?

The five-second fuse of the grenade will always burn out in three seconds.

19. There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.?

There are no atheists in the fox pit.

20. A retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping.?

The fleeing enemy probably just planned to retreat first and then fight back.

21. The important things are always simple; the simple are always hard.

Important things are always simple; simple things are always difficult to do.

22. The easy way is always mined.

The easy-to-go road has always been laid with mines.

23. Teamwork is essential; it gives the enemy other people to shoot at.

Collective action is very necessary; at least the enemy has other targets to shoot.

24. Don't look conspicuous; it draws fire. For this reason, it is not at

all uncommon for aircraft carriers to be known as bomb magnets.

Don't be too conspicuous, because that will attract enemy fire. Therefore, it is not surprising that aircraft carriers are called "bomb magnets".

25. Never draw fire; it irritates everyone around you.

Don't attract enemy fire; this will make everyone around you hate you.

26. If you are short of everything but the enemy, you are in the combat zone.

If you lack anything but the enemy, you must be in the war zone.

27. When you have secured the area, make sure the enemy knows it too.

Once you capture an area, make sure that the enemy knows it too.

28. Incoming fire has the right of way.

Flying bullets have priority right of way. (Don't block the body on the way of bullets)

29. No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.

No unit that has completed combat readiness has ever been able to pass the inspection.

30. No inspection ready unit has ever passed combat.

Never had a unit ready for inspection survived the battle.

31. If the enemy is within range, so are you.

If the enemy enters your range, don't forget that you are also entering his range.

32. The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.

The only thing that is more accurate than enemy artillery fire is friendly firepower.

33. Things that must be together to work can never be shipped together.

Weapons and equipment that must be assembled to work cannot be transported together.

34. Things that must work together, can't be carried to the field that way.

Weapons that must be assembled to work cannot be transported to the battlefield together.

35. Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support

The radio always fails when you need fire support in a desperate need.

36. Radar tends to fail at night and in bad weather, and especially during both).

The radar always fails at night and in bad weather, especially when both happen.

37. Anything you do can get you killed, including nothing.

Everything you do can be killed, even if you do nothing.

38. Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you won't be able to get out.

When you have a tight defense so that the enemy cannot attack, you often cannot fight it yourself.

39. Tracers work both ways.

Tracers are double-edged swords. (You can hit the enemy more easily, and enemies can find your position more easily)

40. If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will get more than your fair share of objectives to take.

If you complete additional tasks in action, you will always be assigned these additional tasks.

41. When both sides are convinced they’re about to lose, they’re both right.

When both armies feel that they are about to lose, they may be right.

42. Professional soldiers are predictable; the world is full of dangerous amateurs.
To be continued...