Diligence and Toil

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

2.7

Word count: 1.6K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

In running an army, diligence comes first; experience has taught me this principle cannot be changed. No one who does not rise early in ordinary times can suddenly rise early when facing the enemy; no one who does not practice toil in ordinary times can suddenly endure toil when facing the enemy; no one who cannot in ordinary times bear hunger and cold can suddenly bear hunger and cold when facing the enemy. When the day's tasks pile up too much, one should early in the morning make a separate list of what must be done that day and finish it within the day, just as farming households rise early and assign the day's work, with nothing left undone by day's end, so that backlog is somewhat reduced.

Editor's review

The piece “Diligence” takes the single character qin (diligence) as the governing principle of military command, and its language is plain and close to practical affairs. It opens by stating that diligence comes first in running an army and calls this a principle learned from experience that cannot be altered; it then unfolds through three parallel “no one who…” clauses: no one who does not rise early in ordinary times can suddenly rise early before the enemy, no one who does not practice toil in ordinary times can suddenly endure toil before the enemy, and no one who cannot bear hunger and cold in ordinary times can suddenly bear hunger and cold before the enemy—showing layer by layer that battlefield capacity comes from daily accumulation. The ending turns to concrete method, advocating that each day's tasks be listed separately early in the morning and finished that same day, like a farming household assigning the day's work at dawn, so as to reduce backlog. Its value lies not in grand theory but in breaking “diligence” down into operable schedule management, offering both a warning and a workable method. This single-piece edition from Bashu Press is short and suitable for reading as an ancient maxim on military command and everyday management, and also as material for self-examination amid fast-paced work. When reading, note the parallel clauses' way of reasoning and consider how the suggestion to “make a list early in the morning and finish it within the day” might apply to your own arrangements.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient maxims on military command and self-cultivation
Professionals hoping to borrow schedule-management methods
Readers who enjoy short classical texts and value practical lessons
People interested in traditional ideas of diligence and execution

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic theoretical framework of management
Readers who prefer long narratives and literary description
Readers unwilling to accept a diligent-admonition style

Reading tips

First read the three parallel “no one who…” clauses and grasp their logic of reasoning from daily life to battle.
Copy “make a separate list early in the morning of what must be done that day” into a to-do list and try it for a day.
Read it alongside similar short pieces on military command and self-cultivation, comparing how different texts express “diligence.”
After reading, write three to five sentences of self-reflection, noting which kinds of tasks you most easily let pile up.

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
卷九

FAQ

Why is this piece titled “Diligence”?

The piece discusses military command and handling affairs around the character qin (diligence), stressing accumulation through early rising, practice in toil, and bearing hunger and cold in ordinary times, and opposing the piling up of tasks. The title “Diligence” summarizes its core claim: be diligent in daily life and inured to toil in ordinary times, rather than talking emptily about courage in battle.

What role do the three “no one who…” sentences play in the argument?

In parallel form, the three sentences show from three aspects—early rising, practice in toil, and bearing hunger and cold—that performance before the enemy depends on ordinary habits and cannot change suddenly on the spot. This writing builds layer by layer, grounding abstract principle in daily behavior and producing a cautionary effect.

What exactly does “make a separate list early in the morning of what must be done that day” mean?

It means that each morning one should separately list the things that must be finished that day and deal with them within the day, just as a farming household assigns the day's farm work at dawn. The aim is to reduce backlog, clearing affairs day by day so they do not grow the more they are delayed.

Is this text suitable for modern readers to apply directly?

Its principles can be borrowed, but should be adapted to one's own circumstances. Listing tasks early in the morning and finishing the day's work that day are fairly general methods; expressions such as bearing hunger and cold belong to the ancient context of military command, and modern readers should understand them as cultivating endurance and regular habits rather than applying them mechanically.

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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.