Military Systems of Successive Dynasties

陈傅良北京汇聚文源文化发展有限公司 · ChinaJul 2024

4.3

Word count: 34K words
Chapters: 16

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought and culture have a long history and are highly original, inventive, and literary. Early forms of thought are distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought, feng shui and metaphysical learning, the Twenty-Four Histories, and customs and local gazetteers—all are profound and extensive. This "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series preserves the appearance of the original works and focuses on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers cultivate character and imperceptibly come to appreciate the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Lidai Bingzhi (Military Systems of Successive Dynasties) is a work by Chen Fuliang of the Southern Song dynasty discussing military institutions across the ages, and it holds a certain weight in the study of ancient Chinese military systems. This book belongs to the "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series, whose publishing orientation emphasizes preserving the original appearance of the text and transmitting traditional thought and culture; readers therefore encounter a traditional classical text rather than a modern scholarly rewriting. Its value lies in giving readers systematic contact with the ancients' organization and commentary on the evolution of military systems, an understanding of the lines of argument on army organization, conscription methods, and institutional strengths and weaknesses across the dynasties, and a sense of traditional scholars' concern with discussing politics through history. Reading this book requires some grounding in classical Chinese and historical background knowledge; it suits readers willing to read the original slowly and take comparative notes. For deeper understanding, readers may combine it with the relevant treatises in the standard histories and with modern studies of military systems, distinguishing the original text's arguments from later research; it should not be treated as a comprehensive modern textbook on the history of military institutions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with some grounding in classical Chinese who are interested in ancient Chinese military institutions
History students or teachers who need contact with original texts on traditional military systems
Deep readers who enjoy reading classical works slowly and are willing to take notes tracing institutional evolution
Readers interested in the historiographical style and traditional political concerns of Song dynasty scholars

Not a good fit for

Beginners without classical Chinese who want a modern vernacular military history
Specialist readers expecting systematic modern military analysis and statistical data
Casual readers who want only light stories and are unwilling to engage with institutional discussion

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents to grasp the chronological thread of military systems across the dynasties, then read section by section by dynasty and take brief notes.
After finishing each dynasty, summarize its military system's main features and the author's evaluation in one sentence, linking the book's overall thread.
Pair the reading with the military treatises in the standard histories or relevant modern research, distinguishing the original text's arguments from later scholarship.
When encountering institutional terminology, first infer its meaning from context, and consult reference works after finishing a chapter rather than interrupting the reading rhythm.

About the publisher

北京汇聚文源文化发展有限公司 China

Beijing Huiju Wenyuan Cultural Development Co., Ltd. is a cultural institution focused on publishing traditional Chinese classics. Public information about the company is limited, and its publishing profile is mainly reflected in the 83 books in the database. Judging from its representative titles, the company attends to classics across the traditional Four Categories of Chinese literature. The Lotus Sutra relates to Buddhist literature; Comprehensive Institutions, A Record of Reading in the Prefectural Studio, and The Meaning of Textual Criticism are works of history and bibliography; New Songs from the Jade Terrace is a literary anthology; Agricultural Administration in Its Entirety concerns agricultural policy and practice; and Annotations to the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals and Discourse on the Song Dynasty reflect the directions of classical scholarship and historical commentary. Its authors include Du You, Chao Gongwu, Xu Ling, Xu Guangqi, He Xiu, Zhang Xuecheng, and Wang Fuzhi, as well as anonymous works. Its common categories center on classic works, social sciences, Eastern philosophy, literary appreciation, and philosophical reading, indicating a publishing orientation characterized by the organization of traditional scholarly primary texts and the promotion of traditional cultural reading.

版权信息
周
春秋
秦
西汉
王莽
东汉
三国
八阵图赞（并序）
两晋
南朝
北朝
隋
唐
五代
宋

FAQ

What grounding in classical Chinese is needed to read Lidai Bingzhi?

This book is a traditional classical text, an expository work in classical Chinese with relatively regular sentence patterns, but it involves official titles, institutional terminology, and historical references. It suits readers with classical Chinese reading ability at or above the high school level who can use reference works to verify terminology. If your grounding is weak, it is advisable to first read a modern vernacular overview of ancient Chinese military systems, then return to the original.

Can this book be used as a modern textbook on the history of military institutions?

It is not suitable as a modern textbook. It is a traditional scholar's organization and commentary on military systems across the dynasties, bearing the historical viewpoint and political concerns of its time; its coverage and argumentative approach differ from those of modern military institutional history. It can serve as original-text reading and a reference for viewpoints, but systematic study still requires modern research works and the treatises in the standard histories.

How should one read to clarify the evolution of military systems across the dynasties?

Proceed in dynastic order; for each section, record the main features of that dynasty's military system, its conscription methods, and the author's evaluation, forming a concise table. After finishing the book, review the table and compare changes across dynasties. When encountering institutional terminology, infer from context first and consult reference works afterward, avoiding frequent interruptions to the reading rhythm.

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About the author

陈傅良 Author

Chen Fuli was a Song-dynasty scholar-author, though public sources provide only limited information about his dates, native place, and official career. Four of his works are held in this collection, spanning military institutions, poetry, and the craft of prose writing, which shows that his interests were not confined to a single genre. The Historical Military Systems examines military institutions across successive dynasties; it is a typical institutional-history discussion that traces their evolution and weighs their strengths and weaknesses, and an unannotated edition also circulated, suggesting a readership for the book. The Zhizhai Poetry Collection, selected from the Song Poetry Anthology, represents his verse and belongs to the broader Song poetic tradition. Yongjia's Eight-Faceted Pointers concerns the methods and conventions of prose composition and is intended as a guide for beginners. On the whole, Chen Fuli's writing is distinguished by practical concerns and argumentative clarity, and is worth consulting for both institutional discussion and literary composition; his influence rests mainly on the circulation and later study of these works.