Advantageous Warfare

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.0

Word count: 197 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

"Li Zhan" (War of Advantage) is a military treatise recorded in the ancient Chinese art-of-war book Baizhan Qilue (Brief Outline of a Hundred Battles). It takes the meaning of "luring by advantage" and, together with the later chapter "Er Zhan" (War of Bait), aims to explain how, in combat against an enemy, to "set bait to lure the enemy" into compliance.

Editor's review

Though brief, "Li Zhan" is a key to understanding the tactics of luring the enemy in ancient China. Taken from Baizhan Qilue, it centers on "luring by advantage," explaining how to use profit as bait so that the enemy, out of greed, loses order and, out of disorder, submits; together with "Er Zhan," it forms the tactical idea of "setting bait to subdue the enemy" in ancient military thought. This book is compiled and published by Bashu Press, making the original military text accessible to general readers. Its value lies not in storytelling but in the conciseness of its thinking: it reminds readers that "advantage" on the battlefield is both an inducement and a source of risk, and the key lies in recognizing advantage, using it, and guarding against it. When reading, one can read it alongside "Er Zhan" and connect it with ancient battle cases to understand how "advantage" is turned into the initiative. Suitable for military-strategy enthusiasts, readers of traditional culture, and those who think about games and strategy from a strategic perspective, but it should not be read as a complete history of war or a modern management manual.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in ancient Chinese military texts and tactical thought
Beginners who wish to understand the format of Baizhan Qilue through short original texts
Teachers engaged in popularizing traditional culture or teaching Classical Chinese selections
Readers who like to think about problems from the perspective of strategy and games

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting complete war narratives or detailed textual research on battle cases
People hoping to obtain directly applicable modern business management solutions
Beginners with weak Classical Chinese who are unwilling to read with annotations

Reading tips

First read the original text, then use the annotations to understand the levels and conditions of "luring by advantage" sentence by sentence.
Read alongside "Er Zhan" and compare the similarities and differences in the two chapters' approaches to setting bait.
After reading, try to retell its tactical logic using an ancient battle case or a scenario of strategic games in daily life.

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
利战

FAQ

Is "Li Zhan" a complete book?

No. It is a short military treatise within the ancient Chinese art-of-war book Baizhan Qilue, mainly explaining the tactical principle of luring the enemy with advantage and making them submit; it is concise and not a long independent work.

Does reading "Li Zhan" require a deep foundation in Classical Chinese?

The original is short and its Classical Chinese difficulty is relatively limited, but it involves ancient military terminology. It is advisable to choose an edition with annotations or translation, first understanding the words and then grasping the overall tactical thinking; general readers can also work their way in gradually.

What is the relationship between "Li Zhan" and "Er Zhan"?

Both chapters revolve around "setting bait to lure the enemy": "Li Zhan" focuses on luring the enemy with advantage, while "Er Zhan" also discusses using bait to subdue the enemy. The two serve as references for each other, and reading them together makes it easier to understand the complete idea of the ancient tactic of luring the enemy.

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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.