Returning to Battle

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.7

Word count: 222 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

"Gui Zhan" is a treatise on the art of war recorded in the ancient Chinese military classic Bai Zhan Qi Lue, intended to explain the principles to be observed in fighting an enemy that is retreating, and, like the preceding chapter "Zhu Zhan," it still concerns the question of pursuit in battle.

Editor's review

"Gui Zhan" is a short military treatise in Bai Zhan Qi Lue devoted to the principles of fighting an enemy that is withdrawing. Its value lies not in its length but in its singling out of a battlefield situation—an enemy's voluntary retreat—that is easily misjudged, reminding readers to distinguish a genuine retreat from a feigned one and a pursuit that is advisable from one that is not. The text continues the theme of pursuit from "Zhu Zhan" but places greater emphasis on assessing the enemy's situation and exercising due measure, embodying the ancient military thought that valued "propriety." This 2024 edition from Bashu Press makes the original text accessible to general readers. It is suitable as an entry point into military classics and also for reading alongside "Zhu Zhan" to appreciate the ancient convention of military writing that carries principles in brief entries. Readers should not expect systematic campaign narratives but should treat it as an operational guideline to be chewed over repeatedly; connecting it to judgments of advance and retreat in management and competition may prove all the more illuminating.

Who it's for

A good fit for

People interested in ancient Chinese military thought who wish to begin with short texts
Researchers of management and competition who need to understand the principles of judging pursuit and retreat
Readers who enjoy reading ancient texts alongside related chapters such as "Zhu Zhan"
Students who wish to train their reading of classical Chinese and habits of critical thinking with short texts

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting complete military history narratives and campaign details
Readers seeking modern systematic theories of military operations
Readers who prefer long-form argument and are unaccustomed to entry-style classical Chinese

Reading tips

First read the original text through, then compare it with "Zhu Zhan" to see how the two chapters differ in their emphasis on the conditions for pursuit.
While reading, mark the key terms by which the text judges whether an enemy's retreat is genuine or false, and compile them into your own decision checklist.
Take a case of advance or retreat from work or competition and try to review the judgment using the chapter's principles.
If classical Chinese is an obstacle, read the annotations and translation first, then return to the original to savor the measure of its wording.

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
归战

FAQ

What is the relationship between "Gui Zhan" and "Zhu Zhan"?

Both are included in Bai Zhan Qi Lue and belong to the topic of pursuit in battle. "Zhu Zhan" discusses the general principles of chasing an enemy force, while "Gui Zhan" focuses on the special case of an enemy withdrawing and places greater emphasis on distinguishing a genuine retreat from a feigned one and on exercising due measure in pursuit. Reading them together reveals the layered thinking of ancient military thought on the same theme.

Can someone with no grounding in classical Chinese read this chapter?

Yes. The chapter is short, and the Bashu Press edition usually includes annotations and a translation; read the translation first to grasp the general meaning, then go back to the key terms in the original. It is best not to puzzle over every character but to grasp the main thread of how to judge an enemy's retreat and how to choose between pursuing and not pursuing.

What use is this military treatise to modern readers?

It offers a framework for judgment: when the other side voluntarily pulls back, first distinguish whether it is a genuine retreat or a lure, then decide whether to follow. This approach of assessing the situation and exercising due measure in advance and retreat can be transferred to competition, negotiation, and project decisions, though it must be adapted to specific conditions rather than mechanically applied.

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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.