The Numbers of Riding Horses

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

3.6

Word count: 827 words
Chapters: 1

Summary

Duke Huan asked Guanzi: "Yu of Youyu already put into practice the policy of cheng ma; I wish to establish the policy of cheng ma—how should it be done?" Guanzi replied: "The warring states devote themselves to the work of repairing their city walls and moats, and so their states constantly lose the use of their land. A true kingly state acts according to the seasons." Duke Huan asked: "What does it mean to act according to the seasons?" Guanzi replied: "Issue decrees of standardization, maintain the policy of land and manpower, and thus opening and closing all rest with the ruler, with no demands made upon the people."

Editor's review

This passage unfolds through questions and answers between Duke Huan and Guanzi on how to implement "cheng ma policy," centering on "acting according to the seasons" and "maintaining the policy of land and manpower." Guanzi points out that the rulers of warring states busy themselves with repairing city walls and moats and thus lose the use of their land, whereas a kingly state must follow the seasons, issue standardizing decrees, and bring land and manpower into state coordination, so that the power to open and close rests with the ruler and the people are not disturbed. The text is brief yet links land, seasons, decrees, and livelihood into a single line of governance, suited to observing how pre-Qin states understood the relation between "time" and "policy." Readers may note the regulatory intent expressed in "opening and closing all rest with the ruler, with no demands made upon the people," and the logic of coordinating land and labor in "maintaining the policy of land and manpower." As a short chapter in the Guanzi, it is better suited to close reading with specific questions than to seeking a complete institutional description.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in pre-Qin economic thought and state governance
Scholars of literature and history studying the Qingzhong and Cheng Ma chapters of the Guanzi
Readers concerned with the relation between land, manpower, and decrees in antiquity
General readers wishing to approach pre-Qin classics through short chapters

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a complete general survey of ancient economic institutions; this chapter preserves only a fragment of dialogue
Readers expecting a modern economic analysis framework
Casual readers who prefer light stories or biographies

Reading tips

First clarify the layers of the Duke Huan–Guanzi dialogue: the question of "how to establish the policy," the answer "act according to the seasons," and the explanation of "maintaining the policy of land and manpower."
Read "the warring states repair their city walls" against "a kingly state acts according to the seasons" to sense the difference between two orientations of governance.
Using the line "issue decrees of standardization," consider the connection between the promulgation of decrees and the seasons and land management.
Consult annotations to relevant Guanzi chapters to understand the place of "cheng ma shu" within the whole work.

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 "cheng ma policy" mean in the dialogue?

From the text, Duke Huan asks how to establish "cheng ma policy," and Guanzi answers with "acting according to the seasons," settling on "maintaining the policy of land and manpower." It discusses how the state coordinates land and manpower by following the seasons and issuing decrees, belonging to the category of governance strategies in the Guanzi; it should not be taken literally as horse management.

What does the contrast between "warring states" and "kingly state" illustrate?

Guanzi contrasts two orientations: the rulers of warring states busy themselves with repairing city walls and instead often lose the use of their land, while a kingly state acts according to the seasons and takes the initiative through coordination of decrees with land and manpower. The contrast highlights the governance approach of "acting according to the seasons" rather than simply praising or blaming a particular era.

How should "opening and closing all rest with the ruler, with no demands made upon the people" be understood?

This sentence emphasizes that the power of regulation is concentrated in the ruler, and the opening and closing of decrees are controlled by the court, so that no extra demands need be made on the people. It reflects a mode of state coordination; readers may consider it together with "maintaining the policy of land and manpower" to understand its intent of coordinating land, manpower, and decrees.

Can reading only this short passage make "cheng ma shu" intelligible?

It provides an entry point but not a full picture. This chapter is a fragment of dialogue and conceptually dense; reading with annotations and related Guanzi chapters is recommended. Grasp the two key terms "acting according to the seasons" and "maintaining the policy of land and manpower" first, then expand your reading for greater reliability.

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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.