Riding Horses

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

3.8

Word count: 2.3K words
Chapters: 1

Summary

Whenever a capital is established, it must be either at the foot of a great mountain or on the bank of a broad river. If high, it should not be too close to drought, yet water must be sufficient; if low, it should not be too close to water, so that ditches and embankments may be spared. Relying on nature's materials and following the advantages of the terrain, the city walls need not conform to the compass and square, nor the roads to the plumb line.

Editor's review

This passage comes from the "Cheng Ma" chapter of the Guanzi and is a classic pre-Qin discussion of establishing capitals and building cities. It explains site selection, water supply, flood control, and use of terrain clearly and thoroughly, and distills the planning principle of "relying on nature's materials and following the advantages of the terrain," without binding city walls and roads to rigid rules. Though brief, it combines technical experience with governing wisdom, allowing readers to see how the ancients turned natural conditions into the foundation of state construction. For today's readers it can serve as introductory material for understanding pre-Qin urban concepts and geographical thought, and offer a plain reference for readers in planning, architecture, and historical geography. While reading, note the dialectical thinking in "if high, not too close to drought; if low, not too close to water," and the pragmatic attitude expressed in "need not conform to the compass and square" and "nor to the plumb line."

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in ancient Chinese urban history and geographical thought
Urban planning and architecture students using it as a reference on pre-Qin planning concepts
Enthusiasts of historical geography and pre-Qin texts seeking further reading
Readers concerned with ancient state governance and resource use

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic technical manual of urban planning; the original is only a short essay
Planning practitioners seeking modern engineering data and case studies
Casual readers who prefer long narratives or complete stories

Reading tips

Read the original through once, then go sentence by sentence with annotations to understand what "if high, not too close to drought" and "if low, not too close to water" specifically refer to.
Combine with examples of pre-Qin city sites or maps to see how "relying on nature's materials and following the advantages of the terrain" plays out in real terrain.
Excerpt lines such as "the city walls need not conform to the compass and square, nor the roads to the plumb line" and connect them to discussions of flexibility in modern planning.
Read alongside other short chapters of the Guanzi to observe the consistency of its state-governance thinking.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息

FAQ

What does the chapter title "Cheng Ma" refer to in the text?

Judging from the given text, the title "Cheng Ma" does not directly concern riding horses; it is the title of a Guanzi chapter discussing state construction matters such as establishing capitals and building cities. The core of the text is site-selection principles and planning thought that adapts to local conditions; readers need not take it literally as content on horse administration.

Is this passage suitable for readers with no foundation in classical Chinese?

It can be read, but annotations or a vernacular translation are recommended. The original is terse and involves concepts such as "broad river," "ditches and embankments," and "plumb line"; basic annotations make it easier to grasp. Understand the general meaning first, then return to close-read key sentences; the threshold is not high.

What inspiration does "relying on nature's materials and following the advantages of the terrain" offer today?

It emphasizes that construction should conform to natural conditions and resource endowments rather than apply a fixed format. This thinking resonates with modern planning principles of respecting terrain, saving costs, and adapting to local conditions, and can serve as an entry point for understanding ancient planning wisdom.

Does reading this short essay require reading the whole Guanzi first?

No. This chapter is relatively self-contained and can be read on its own. If you wish to understand the Guanzi's overall governance thought more deeply, you may then select other related chapters; reading this one first will not create obstacles.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.