Military Strategy

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.6

Word count: 315 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Refers to the stratagems of warfare. From the Huainanzi, "Yaolüe xun": "What is called military strategy is that by which one clarifies the calculations of victory in battle and seizure in attack, the circumstances of terrain and momentum, the transformations of deception and guile, and embodies the Way of following and accord, grasping the doctrine of acting after others." From the Hou Hanshu, "Biography of Huangfu Gui": "The commandery general, knowing that Gui possessed military strategy, appointed him to the post of gongcao." Song dynasty, Sima Guang, "Epitaph of Su Qiji": "I rose from commoner origins to become a regional lord; the favors I have received from two reigns are too many to record. My home is near Zhao and Wei, and I have a rough acquaintance with military strategy." Qing dynasty, Xue Fucheng, "Tombstone Inscription for Ding, Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices": "That he could win the hearts of the people to such a degree—only then did I know he was not merely versed in military strategy."

Editor's review

Compiled from ancient military writings, Binglue (Military Strategy) gathers discussions of "military strategy" as a core concept, drawing on the Huainanzi's "Yaolue xun," the "Huangfu Gui zhuan" in the Hou Han shu, and remarks by Sima Guang, Xue Fucheng, and others. Its value lies not in offering a systematic military treatise but in showing the semantic development and contexts of the term binglue across classical texts: it discusses both the arts of victory in battle and the shifts of circumstance and situation, and the dialectical wisdom of "embodying the way of following what is inherent and holding to the theory of what comes after." Its strengths are clear source citations and concise length, making it useful for approaching ancient military thought through philology and historical sources rather than directly copying practical techniques. It is suitable as supplementary reading for the history of ancient military learning and thought, especially alongside the original Huainanzi, to appreciate how ancients valued "way" over "technique" in discussing war.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and graduate students studying ancient military thought and military texts
Readers of the Huainanzi interested in its military content
Writers and teachers needing sources and examples for the concept of ancient military strategy
General readers interested in the evolution of military thought from the pre-Qin and Han through the Qing

Not a good fit for

Military enthusiasts seeking specific battle cases, formations, and practical tactics
Beginners without classical Chinese reading skills who expect accessible stories

Reading tips

Read the relevant passages of the Huainanzi's "Yaolue xun" first, then return to the various discussions collected here to clarify the concept's origins and development.
Note each source's origin and period, arrange them chronologically, and observe how the meaning of binglue changed.
Read alongside The Art of War to compare the two approaches: one valuing deceptive flexibility, the other the way of following what is inherent.
After each passage, write two or three notes recording one point it adds to the definition of binglue.

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
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FAQ

Is this a complete ancient military treatise?

No. It is closer to a compilation of sources around the term binglue, collecting related discussions from the Huainanzi's "Yaolue xun," the "Huangfu Gui zhuan" in the Hou Han shu, and Sima Guang, Xue Fucheng, and others. It aims to show the term's usage and contexts in classical texts, not to provide a systematic manual of military strategy.

Can I read it without classical Chinese?

Yes, but you will need annotations and reference works. The collected passages are mostly excerpts and not long; the difficulty lies in word meanings and institutional background. It is best to read modern annotated translations of the relevant Huainanzi chapters first, then return to this book; understanding will be much smoother.

Can I learn practical battlefield strategy from this book?

There are few directly operational tactics. The book focuses on the conceptual level: "understanding the arts of victory in battle, the dynamics of circumstance, and deceptive changes," and "embodying the way of following what is inherent." It is better for understanding how ancients defined military strategy than for directly applying it to combat or competition.

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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.