Offensive Warfare

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.0

Word count: 398 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

This is a treatise on warfare recorded in the ancient Chinese military classic Hundred Battles and Strange Strategies, intended to set out the principles to be grasped when waging war by offensive means.

Editor's review

This piece comes from the ancient Chinese military treatise Baizhan Qilue and specifically discusses the principles to be grasped in offensive operations, being a concise fragment on the theme of "attack" in traditional military thought. Its value lies not in length but in its highly concentrated weighing of the factors involved in offensive action, making it easy for readers to understand at the level of principle how the ancients thought about the timing, conditions, and risks of taking the initiative to attack. As a single military text, it is better treated as an entry point than as a complete course: readers can use it to appreciate the ancient military art of governing complexity with simplicity and to form an overall understanding by comparing it with other chapters of Baizhan Qilue. In terms of reading setting, it suits short desktop reading, note-taking study combined with battle cases, and use as supplementary material in courses on traditional culture or military thought. Note that the text is in classical Chinese, and readers should have basic preparation in reading classical Chinese to accurately grasp the direction of its principles.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers interested in ancient Chinese military thought who wish to approach military principles through short texts
Students studying classical Chinese who need short texts for close-reading practice
Teachers of traditional culture courses who need supplementary military selections
Amateur military enthusiasts who like to think about principled provisions against battle cases

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic study of modern military command or operational theory
Readers who need annotated and translated editions of the complete Baizhan Qilue
Readers without basic classical Chinese reading ability who expect easy vernacular读物

Reading tips

Read the original text through first, mark key words and sentences, then sort out sentence by sentence the levels of offensive principles it discusses.
Read it alongside related chapters of Baizhan Qilue and observe differences in principle between offense and other modes of warfare.
Prepare one or two historical battle cases and try to explain success or failure using this chapter's principles to test whether your understanding is accurate.
After reading, summarize the principles into several short notes for later review and cross-comparison.

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.

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FAQ

Is this piece "Gong Zhan" a complete military treatise?

No, it is not a complete military treatise but one chapter of Baizhan Qilue; it is short and focuses on the principles to be mastered in offensive operations. It is suitable as a single piece for close reading, and a full understanding of the book requires reading other chapters as well.

Can I read it without a foundation in classical Chinese?

You can try, but you will need annotations or reference tools. This piece is in classical Chinese with concise wording; if you have no experience reading classical Chinese at all, it is advisable to first look at an edition with translation and notes, then return to the original to appreciate its expression, so as not to misunderstand the principles because of language obstacles.

Does reading this piece help in understanding ancient warfare?

It helps, but it is a discussion of principles and does not provide details of specific battle cases. Readers can treat it as an analytical framework and then compare it with battle cases in historical works to better understand the thinking and practical application of ancient offensive operations.

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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.