Nip it in the bud. -- Season 5, Episode 4: "All Happy Families …"
扼杀在萌芽中——第五季第四集：“所有幸福的家庭……”
Situation: Michele "Feech" La Manna is an original gangster, "made" in Italy, who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1950s. Feech was a contemporary of Tony's father and uncle; and Tony made his name, in part, by brazenly robbing a card game run by the elder mobster. After a 20-year prison stint, Feech returns to North Jersey in 2004 to "get back in the game." Long-dormant tension and resentment quickly boil over as Feech ignores Tony's authority and grows increasingly popular with the lower ranks.
背景：米切勒•拉曼纳是个老牌帮派份子，原籍意大利，于20世纪50年代移民到美国。拉曼纳和托尼的父辈是同一代人。而托尼之所以成名也与早年抢走了拉曼纳的一家赌场有一定关系。度过了20年的监狱生涯后，拉曼纳于2004年回到了北新泽西“再战江湖”。双方沉积已久的恩怨和仇恨立刻被再度点燃。拉曼纳无视托尼的权威，还迅速在底层小弟中获得了号召力。
Solution: Tony sets Feech up to be caught violating the terms of his parole. Feech is summarily sent back to prison.
解决方案：托尼设下毒计，让拉曼纳违反了假释条例，拉曼纳再次入狱。
Lesson: Learn to spot problems before they become serious. In the second season, Tony faces similar conflicts with another ex-convict, Richie Aprile. (In the end, Aprile was hauled out of Tony's sister's kitchen in a plastic garbage bag.) Contemplating the Feech dilemma, Tony asks himself, "Did I learn nothing from the Richie situation?" He concludes, "Nip it in the bud." There's no quicker way to fix a problem than to stop it from happening in the first place.
教训：学会在问题变得严重之前发现问题。第二季中，托尼与另一个出狱后的帮派份子里奇•艾普勒也有过类似的冲突。（最后，艾普勒被装在一个塑料垃圾袋里，被人拖出托尼妹妹的厨房。）面临拉曼纳造成的困境时，托尼问自己：“我难道还没有从里奇的事中汲取教训吗？”然后他总结道：“要把问题扼杀在萌芽里。要纠正一个问题，最快的方法就是在第一时间防止它发生。”
When it doubt, Sun Tzu. -- Season 3, Episode 8: "He Is Risen" and others
事不决，问孙子——第三季第八集：“他崛起了”等集
Situation: The "Chinese Prince Machiavelli," as Tony refers to the master strategist, is a recurring allusion in the show. Sun Tzu's treatise The Art of War is introduced not surprisingly by Dr. Melfi in therapy and quickly spreads through the ranks of Tony's crew. Even his sister begins quoting the ancient general. (The book's mention on the show led to a boost in sales.)
背景：托尼在剧中曾经多次提及中国兵家孙子，称他是“中国的马基雅弗利王子。”因此梅尔菲医生在剧中多次引用《孙子兵法》（The Art of War ）中的名言名句也就不足为奇了，而且这些名言名句还在托尼的队伍中流行起来。甚至连她妹妹也开始引用《孙子兵法》中的句子。（由于该剧多次引用，《孙子兵法》在美销量大增。）
Solution: Axioms Tony and his associates find particularly useful include: "Balk the enemy's power; force him to reveal himself;" "If your opponent is of choleric temper, irritate him;" and, "A good commander is benevolent and unconcerned with fame."
解决方案：托尼和他的手下们发现《孙子兵法》中的一些道理特别有用，其中包括：“候而知动静之理，形而知死生之地”、“怒尔挠之、卑而骄之”、“将者，智信仁勇严也”。
Lesson: Look to your predecessors' ideas for guidance, and use what will serve you best.
教训：从前辈的思想中寻求指导，采用其中最能为己所用的。