Battle in Peril

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.1

Word count: 781 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Wēizhàn (Dangerous Warfare) is a treatise recorded in the ancient Chinese military classic Baizhan Qilüe (One Hundred Stratagems). As the name suggests, it discusses what measures commanders should take to turn the tide when troops find themselves in a perilous situation in battle. It holds that when troops fall into danger in combat, commanders should face it without fear and inspire officers and soldiers to resolve to fight to the death and bravely kill the enemy. Only thus can danger be turned into safety and final victory won. The passage quoted here from Sunzi, "when soldiers are deeply陷入 danger, they are not afraid," is explained by Du Mu of the Tang dynasty in his Commentary on Sunzi: "When plunged into danger, the situation does not mean death alone; the whole army shares one heart, and therefore they are not afraid." It can be seen that the reason soldiers deeply陷入 danger are not afraid is that the entire army, high and low, has resolved to fight the enemy to the death; and the reason the whole army, when facing danger, bravely kills the enemy and does not fear sacrifice is the result of the commander's usual strict governance of the army and the education and training he has cultivated. Generally speaking, what kind of commander one has determines what kind of soldiers are brought out. To keep troops possessing the courageous spirit of facing danger without fear depends to a great extent on the commander's own exemplary role and his usual strict governance, education, and training of the army. Through its discussion of the commander's measures in the face of danger, this chapter tells us the importance of strict governance of the army.

Editor's review

Weizhan is a chapter in the ancient military classic Baizhan Qilüe, devoted to how commanders should handle troops caught in perilous situations. The whole text revolves around the idea that "when soldiers are deeply trapped, they are not afraid," emphasizing that the reason troops remain calm in danger is that the entire army has resolved to fight to the death, and that this fighting spirit in turn stems from the commander's strict governance and exemplary role in ordinary times. The piece is not long, yet it links crisis response with peacetime training and education; its logic is clear and its argument advances layer by layer. For readers who enjoy ancient military thought, it is an entry point for understanding the overall approach of Baizhan Qilüe; for readers concerned with management and leadership, its statement that "what kind of commander one has determines what kind of soldiers are brought out" also offers food for thought. When reading, one may treat it as a short essay: first clarify the relationship between the thesis and the citations, then consider its applicable boundaries in light of concrete situations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in ancient military strategy and thought
Beginning readers who want to understand a single chapter of Baizhan Qilüe
Workplace readers interested in team management and crisis response approaches
Students who need short classical Chinese texts for close-reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic military theory textbook or detailed battle-case analysis
Business readers seeking modern management case studies
People with no patience for reading classical Chinese

Reading tips

First read through the original to grasp the general meaning, then go sentence by sentence with annotations to understand the sources of the quotations.
After reading, summarize the main argument in your own words and check whether you have grasped the core logic.
Reflect on it in connection with real-life crisis-response situations, but note the differences between ancient and modern conditions.
It can be used as short close-reading material: read only one paragraph at a time and make brief annotations.

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
危战

FAQ

Which book does Weizhan come from?

According to the source material, Weizhan is a treatise recorded in the ancient Chinese military classic Baizhan Qilüe; its theme is the measures commanders should take when troops fall into danger.

What is the main argument of this treatise?

Its core argument is that commanders should face danger without fear and inspire officers and soldiers to resolve to fight to the death, thereby turning danger into safety. The text also emphasizes that soldiers' fearlessness in danger stems from the whole army sharing one heart, and that this courage is closely related to the commander's usual strict governance and exemplary role.

What does the quoted saying of Sunzi mean?

The quoted line "when soldiers are deeply trapped, they are not afraid" is explained, according to Du Mu's Tang-dynasty commentary, as meaning that when soldiers are deeply in danger, the entire army shares the resolve to fight to the death, and therefore they are not afraid. The text uses this to illustrate the importance of unity of morale in danger.

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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.