Forgetting Battle

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.6

Word count: 250 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Forgetting War is a treatise on the art of war recorded in the ancient Chinese military classic Hundred Battles, Hundred Stratagems. Starting from the harmful consequences of "forgetting war means peril," it emphasizes the necessity of strengthening combat readiness in peacetime.

Editor's review

Originally a chapter from the ancient military classic Baizhan Qilue (A Hundred Strategies for Warfare), Wang Zhan is brief yet forceful in arguing why vigilance must be maintained in peacetime, centered on the maxim "forgetting war invites peril." Rather than discussing specific tactics, it begins from the consequences of neglect, urging readers to prepare for danger in times of safety. This edition, compiled and published by Bashu Publishing House, makes this short traditional text on military thought accessible to general readers. Its value lies in its conceptual warning: prolonged peace breeds complacency, and crises often arrive when vigilance slackens. It can be read as an entry point into ancient views on security and preparedness, relevant to risk prevention in personal life, organizational management, and public affairs. The prose is concise, suited to slow, careful reading and as supplementary material for those new to traditional culture and military studies.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers new to ancient military texts and traditional military thought
Readers seeking a sense of vigilance and risk awareness from classic texts
Students or self-learners needing short classical Chinese reading material
General readers interested in peacetime preparedness and security issues

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic military theory or specific tactical detail
Professional readers seeking analysis of modern defense policy
Readers who prefer long-form narrative or literary reading

Reading tips

Read the original text first, then use the annotations to trace the argument that "forgetting war invites peril."
After reading, write a short reflection connecting it to a real-life security or risk case.
Read alongside other chapters of Baizhan Qilue to understand its place in that military system.
The text is short; read a section a day and take notes rather than finishing it in one sitting.

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
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FAQ

Is Wang Zhan a standalone book?

It was originally a chapter in the ancient military classic Baizhan Qilue, not a long standalone work. This edition presents it as a single piece so readers can focus on its idea that "forgetting war invites peril."

Can readers without classical Chinese training understand it?

The original text is short and relatively plain in wording; with the annotations and translation provided, general readers can grasp the main ideas. When encountering ancient military terms, read the annotations first, then return to the original for smoother understanding.

What does this text mean for modern readers?

It discusses why vigilance cannot be relaxed in peacetime, and this awareness can be applied to risk prevention at personal, organizational, and societal levels. Readers need not treat it as a modern military guide but can see it as a reminder of a traditional view of security.

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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.