War of Pacification

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.3

Word count: 604 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

An Zhan (Stable Warfare) is a military treatise recorded in the ancient Chinese art-of-war book Baizhan Qilue (A Hundred Stratagems). Its name derives from "holding fast and not moving," and its gist is to expound the guiding principle of how defensive operations should hold firm and await the enemy. It holds that against an attacking enemy who has come from afar with high morale and is eager for a decisive battle, only by adopting the policy of "holding firm and not responding, waiting for the enemy to become exhausted" can one ultimately defeat the enemy. The experience of actual warfare shows that when facing a strong enemy's attack and when one does not yet possess the conditions for a quick victory, adopting the defensive policy of "holding firm and not responding, waiting for the enemy to become exhausted" is undoubtedly a prudent and correct decision. For only by avoiding the sharp edge of a ferocious enemy eager for a decisive battle and not joining battle with him can one preserve one's own strength; only by holding firm behind fortifications and waiting for the enemy can one wear down and exhaust him, creating favorable conditions for ultimately annihilating him.

Editor's review

Though brief, An Zhan concentrates the defensive wisdom of ancient Chinese military thought: "controlling movement with stillness, meeting attack with defense." The title means "holding fast and not moving," and its core argument is that when facing a strong enemy who has come from afar with high morale and is eager for a decisive battle, and when one does not yet have the conditions for a quick victory, one should hold firm, not respond, and defend behind fortifications, thereby turning the offensive-defensive balance through attrition and exhaustion of the enemy. The value of this idea lies in not courting a moment's bravery and in uniting "preserving one's strength" with "creating opportunities for battle"; it possesses a plain yet profound strategic rationality. This 2024 Bashu Publishing House edition helps readers understand the chapter within the overall context of Baizhan Qilue and is suitable as close reading material for an introduction to military strategy and for training strategic thinking. While reading, one may combine ancient battle cases to appreciate the conditions and limits of "waiting for the enemy to become exhausted," and may also extend the reflection to its analogical value in competitive decision-making and risk response. It should be noted that this is a short ancient military-theory text focused on principles; readers should not expect detailed campaign narratives or modern management operational plans.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers interested in ancient Chinese military thought and Baizhan Qilue
Students and researchers seeking to understand defensive strategy and the idea of waiting for the right moment
Working readers who enjoy distilling decision-making wisdom from classical texts
Learners who need short close-reading material for training in classical Chinese

Not a good fit for

Military-history readers expecting detailed battle reconstructions and campaign narratives
Those hoping for concrete operational plans for modern business management
Younger readers not comfortable with classical Chinese who need popular storybooks

Reading tips

First read the original text through and clarify its meaning sentence by sentence, then consult the annotations to understand the specific meaning of "holding firm and not responding."
Read this chapter alongside the offensive and defensive chapters of Baizhan Qilue, comparing the differences in principles of offense and defense.
After reading, summarize in your own words the conditions under which "waiting for the enemy to become exhausted" holds, and try to connect it to a real decision-making scenario.
Make a one-page reading note recording the principle, its preconditions, and possible risks.

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
安战

FAQ

Is An Zhan a standalone book?

No. It is a chapter in the ancient Chinese military book Baizhan Qilue, mainly expounding the principle of holding firm and awaiting the enemy in defensive operations. This entry is for the 2024 Bashu Publishing House edition; readers should treat it as a chapter of a military book or part of a related compiled edition, not as a complete full-length monograph.

What does "holding firm and not responding, waiting for the enemy to become exhausted" mean?

It means defending solidly and not readily joining battle, waiting for the enemy to become weary and exhausted. When facing a strong enemy who has come from afar with high morale and is eager for a decisive battle, if one does not yet have the conditions for a quick victory, one should avoid direct confrontation and hold firm behind fortifications to preserve one's strength and wear down the enemy, creating conditions for annihilating him later.

Does reading this chapter require a foundation in classical Chinese?

The text is short but involves ancient military terminology and classical Chinese expression, so basic reading ability in classical Chinese will make it smoother. Beginners can use annotations and translations to understand it sentence by sentence, focusing on grasping its strategic principles rather than pursuing word-for-word precision from the start.

What inspiration does this military treatise offer modern readers?

It reminds readers that when they do not hold the advantage in strength and timing, they need not rush into direct confrontation; instead, they should steady themselves, preserve resources, and wait for the other side to be worn down and make mistakes. This way of thinking can be used to understand defensive strategy and risk control in competition, but attention must be paid to differences between ancient and modern contexts, and it should not be applied 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.