Planning for the State

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 1.4K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The chapter "Tu Guo" is taken from the Wuzi. Tu Guo means planning and governing the state. This chapter is divided into eight sections and broadly discusses such great affairs of state as governing the state, managing the army, raising troops for war, and winning over the people and employing the worthy.

Editor's review

"Tu Guo" is taken from the Wuzi and is devoted to such great affairs of state as governing the state, managing the army, raising troops, and winning over the people and employing the worthy; it is a chapter no reader can bypass in understanding pre-Qin military thought. The 2024 standalone edition from Bashu Publishing House makes it convenient for readers to study it in a concentrated way without having to search through an entire military classic. Its value lies in examining military questions within the framework of politics and the people's livelihood, emphasizing that internal governance and external military action support each other, which also offers inspiration for understanding organizational management and public governance today. The chapter is divided into eight sections with a clear structure, making it suitable material for an introduction to pre-Qin military thought or for close reading of a classic. When reading, it can be read alongside The Art of War, noting Wu Qi's orientation toward governance and moral instruction. One caveat: the original text is archaic and abstruse, so beginners should use a reliable annotated edition if there is no annotation or translation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in pre-Qin military thought who wish to understand the Wuzi systematically
Students of history and literature studying the relationship between ancient Chinese military affairs and politics
Members who need a classical text for close reading and discussion in a reading group
Management readers concerned with organizational governance and the way of employing people

Not a good fit for

Ordinary casual readers expecting modern vernacular stories or light popular introductions
Beginners with no foundation in Classical Chinese who are unwilling to use annotations or translations
Readers who only want to read The Art of War and are not interested in other military writings

Reading tips

First read through once to get the gist of the eight sections, then read closely section by section against the annotations, marking key discussions of governing the state and managing the army
Read alongside relevant chapters of The Art of War, comparing the two schools' emphases on the relationship between governing the state and using troops
After finishing each section, summarize the main points in three to five sentences and build them into your own outline for easy review
If used for a reading group, sections can be led and discussed around themes such as winning over the people, employing the worthy, and raising troops

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
图国第一

FAQ

Is "Tu Guo" an independent work or a chapter of a military classic?

It is a chapter of the Wuzi, and the title means planning and governing the state. This standalone edition extracts and prints this part separately for concentrated study, but it is not an independently published work, and it should still be understood within the Wuzi as a whole.

Can I read this book without a background in Classical Chinese?

You can try, but it is advisable to read it alongside an annotated or translated edition. The original text is archaic and abstruse, and it is easy to get stuck on words and phrases with the bare text alone. It works better to first use annotations and translation to clarify the meaning, then return to the original to appreciate the layers of argument.

Do I need to read The Art of War before reading "Tu Guo"?

It is not necessary to read it first, but having read The Art of War makes comparison easier. Both books belong to pre-Qin military thought, and the Wuzi places more emphasis on governing the state, moral instruction, and winning over the people and employing the worthy; with Sunzi as a reference first, its distinctive features become clearer.

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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.