Methods of War

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.4

Word count: 385 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

In all methods of war, the root must lie in political victory; then the people do not contend, and if they do not contend, they have no private purposes, taking the ruler's purpose as their own. Thus the government of a true king makes the people timid in quarrels within the wards yet brave in battle against invaders. The people are accustomed to attacking difficulties with force, and so they make light of death.

Editor's review

Zhan Fa is an ancient military discourse that discusses warfare from its political foundations, short in length but far-reaching in conception. It states at the outset that "in all methods of war, the root must lie in political victory," tracing the outcome of war to whether government orders win the people's hearts and whether the people are willing to fight for the public good, rather than speaking only of troop deployment and formation. The line "makes the people timid in quarrels within the wards yet brave in battle against invaders" reveals a design for guiding the people's strength through government teaching and transforming the courage of private feuds into the will to defend the state, embodying the ancient military characteristic of uniting the art of war with the way of governance. This Bashu Shushe edition makes it easy for readers to encounter a corner of pre-Qin military thought in a small compass. It suits supplementary reading for selected military texts, introductions to Chinese classics, or management-related extended reading, and is also suitable for reference when discussing organizational discipline and mobilization mechanisms. Read it in light of the social background of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods to understand its logic of "governing troops through politics," without treating it as a combat manual to be applied directly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in pre-Qin military thought who want a short introduction
Students of literature and history studying the relation between ancient politics and the military
Readers who like to draw organizational-management insights from classical texts

Not a good fit for

Military enthusiasts seeking concrete tactics and formation details
Readers seeking long, systematic military treatises with a complete theoretical system
Readers impatient with short classical Chinese passages who prefer vernacular stories

Reading tips

Read the original through once, then go sentence by sentence with annotations to understand key terms such as political victory, quarrels within the wards, and battle against invaders.
Read against the background of the hegemonic struggles of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and consider how government orders and the people's strength support each other.
Compare with the opening of The Art of War and note their different emphases on the preconditions of war.
After reading, try to summarize in your own words the logic of "governing troops through politics" to test whether your understanding is sound.

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
战法第十

FAQ

What exactly does "the root must lie in political victory" mean?

It means the foundation of war lies in political success: clear government orders and a people who submit to the state's will rather than contending for private gain. The author holds that only when the political foundation is secure do military actions have the precondition for victory, which contrasts with views relying solely on force or stratagem.

Is this text suitable for readers with no background?

It is short and makes a good starting point for encountering ancient military discourse, but the original is in classical Chinese, so readers with no background need annotations and translation. Read a vernacular analysis first and then return to the original; do not insist on word-by-word mastery at the outset, but grasp the core idea of political victory.

How should "timid in quarrels within the wards yet brave in battle against invaders" be understood?

It means making the people dare not engage in armed brawls in their villages for private gain, yet dare to fight to repel foreign enemies for the state. The author stresses the direction in which government teaching guides the people's strength: turning courage from private feuds to public battle, so that the people's strength serves the state as a whole rather than being spent in internal strife.

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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.