War and Defense

AnonymousJinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJul 2024

2.0

Word count: 2.1K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

In general, when a force sets out, there are times when speed is appropriate and times when delay is appropriate. When speed is appropriate, it is because I go to seek the enemy and strike first; when delay is appropriate, it is because the enemy comes to seek me and I wait as host for the guest.

Editor's review

"Battle and Defense" is a short, trenchant ancient military discourse built around two rhythms of war, "speed" and "delay." It holds that when "I go to seek the enemy," one should strike first, and when "the enemy comes to seek me," one should wait as host for the guest, settling the choice of initiative in attack and defense cleanly and decisively. Its value lies not in length but in its line of thought: rather than speaking abstractly of courage and cowardice, it first judges who dominates the battlefield and who is under pressure of time, and only then decides the pace of action. The prose is concise and carries the paired-opposition style of traditional military writing, making it a fitting sample for understanding ancient military thinking. When reading, compare it with specific battles and see how "speed" and "delay" shift with terrain, supply, and morale, rather than treating it as fixed doctrine. This edition makes the original text accessible to general readers and is suited to fragmented close reading and note-taking.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in ancient military books and military thought
Those who enjoy short classical essays and wish to read line by line
Readers needing material for writing or talks who want to borrow the paired-argument method
Beginning readers studying ancient military terms and ideas of attack and defense

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic military history or detailed battle analysis
Those unaccustomed to short classical essays who need extensive vernacular explanation
Readers seeking formulas from modern management that can be applied directly

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the distinction between "when speed is appropriate" and "when delay is appropriate," then compare each line with battles you know.
Prepare paper and pen to list the conditions and risks of "I seek the enemy" and "the enemy seeks me," making two-column notes.
After reading, find an ancient battle of attack and defense and test how the principles in the text are adapted in concrete situations.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
卷十二战守

FAQ

What is "Battle and Defense" mainly about?

It discusses two basic choices in the rhythm of war: when taking the initiative to attack, one should be fast and seize the first move; when the enemy invades, one should be steady and wait as host for the guest. The core is to decide speed or delay according to who holds the initiative, rather than simply seeking speed or steadiness.

Can I read it without a foundation in classical Chinese?

Yes. The original is very short, and key phrases recur; first grasp the sets of terms "when speed is appropriate," "when delay is appropriate," "strike first," and "wait as host for the guest." It is best read with annotations or a vernacular parallel text, and there is no need to wrestle with every character at the start.

Is it suitable as a military textbook?

Not very. It is more a short discourse on principles, lacking developed battle examples and operational detail. It can serve as introductory material for ancient military thought, but systematic study still requires battle histories and annotated editions.

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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.