First Battle

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaOct 2020

2.3

Word count: 203 words
Chapters: 3

Summary

First Battle is a treatise on the art of war recorded in the ancient Chinese military classic Hundred Battles and Wonderful Strategies, intended to explain the conditions for and the role of the operational principle of "striking first." It holds that in fighting the enemy, against an invading force that has not yet established a firm foothold, one should adopt "" and catch the enemy off guard. In this way, the enemy's fighting spirit can be quickly broken and victory won. The phrase "those who strike first can seize the hearts of men," quoted here from the Zuo Commentary, is cited chiefly to establish the important role of the principle of "striking first" in campaigns and battles. The historical experience of war proves that, given the conditions for striking first, the courage to launch an attack before the enemy can lead to rapid victory; the failure to do so will miss the opportunity and may lead to defeat.

Editor's review

This piece comes from the ancient military classic Hundred Battles and Wonderful Strategies and is devoted to the conditions for and the role of "striking first." Though brief, it sets out clearly the relationship among timing, the enemy's situation, and psychology: against an invading enemy that has not yet established a firm foothold, a resolute attack launched before the enemy can catch it off guard and quickly break its fighting spirit; otherwise, the opportunity may be missed. Quoting the Zuo Commentary's phrase "those who strike first can seize the hearts of men," the text grounds the principle in "seizing hearts," stressing not only speed of action but also a grasp of the psychological balance between the two sides. For general readers, this piece can serve as a small entry point into traditional military thinking: it is short and focused, suitable for reading alongside other chapters of Hundred Battles and Wonderful Strategies, and convenient for case discussion in class or in a reading group. Note that its context is ancient campaigns and battles; readers should judge it in light of its conditions and should not simply apply it to everyday competition.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers interested in ancient military books and military thought
Language teachers who need short classical Chinese materials for classroom discussion
Readers who want to know the source of the principle of "striking first"
Enthusiasts who like to read traditional classics by comparing short chapters

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic military theory textbook or a long history of war
Readers looking for modern management or business case analysis
Readers who lack interest in short classical Chinese texts and prefer long stories

Reading tips

Read the original text once, then consult the annotations to clarify the source and meaning of "those who strike first can seize the hearts of men."
Read it alongside other chapters of Hundred Battles and Wonderful Strategies and compare the conditions under which different operational principles apply.
While reading, pay attention to the text's qualifications concerning "conditions" and try to summarize in your own words the prerequisites for striking first.
If using it for discussion, cite a historical battle example to test whether the principle in the text holds.

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
正文一
正文二

FAQ

What is the core argument of the chapter "First Battle"?

Its core is to explain the operational principle of "striking first": when conditions such as the enemy's unstable footing are present, the courage to attack before the enemy can catch it off guard and quickly break its fighting spirit; failure to strike first may miss the opportunity. The text particularly stresses that the principle applies only under certain conditions.

What role does the quotation from the Zuo Commentary play in the text?

The phrase "those who strike first can seize the hearts of men" places the focus of striking first on seizing psychological advantage over the enemy. It provides a classical basis for the text's argument, showing that striking first is not merely about seizing time but about shaking the opponent's fighting spirit, thereby supporting the important role of "striking first" in campaigns and battles.

Is this military text suitable for direct application to modern competition?

It should not be applied simplistically. The principle in the text addresses ancient campaigns and battles and is explicitly premised on specific conditions. Modern interpersonal, business, or management problems differ greatly from it; readers should understand its way of thinking rather than copy its conclusions, and still less should they take "striking first" to mean acting first regardless of conditions.

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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.