Offensive Power

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.0

Word count: 906 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

"Attack Rights" in Wei Liaozi: "If the general does not exercise inner control and the soldiers do not act with restraint, even a victory is a lucky one, not the exercise of attack rights."

Editor's review

This excerpt, taken from "Attack Rights" in Wei Liaozi, centers on the statement "If the general does not exercise inner control and the soldiers do not act with restraint, even a victory is a lucky one, not the exercise of attack rights." It emphasizes that offensive operations cannot rely on luck but require the general's inner decisiveness and the soldiers' disciplined action. Its value lies in elevating the question of "attack" from a mere contest of military strength to the level of organization and command, reminding readers that a victory won by chance does not conform to the true meaning of attack rights. As a single selected piece, it is suited to close reading and repeated reflection, especially for readers interested in the concept of "quan" (weighing/discretion) in ancient military thought. When reading, one may relate it to the overall thought of Wei Liaozi to understand its views on army governance, command, and the measure of action. Because the text is brief and its meaning condensed, it is advisable to work through it sentence by sentence with annotations rather than seeking a quick read-through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Wei Liaozi and pre-Qin military thought who wish to closely read a single selected passage
Language learners who need short classical Chinese materials for sentence-by-sentence analytical practice
Readers studying ancient concepts of command and army governance, with attention to the meaning of "attack rights"
Traditional culture enthusiasts who enjoy making reflective notes starting from principled statements

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a complete annotated translation of the full Wei Liaozi
Readers seeking concrete steps and operational guides for offensive tactics
Readers who prefer long popular explanations and do not wish to work through classical Chinese sentence by sentence

Reading tips

First clarify the meanings of "xin zhi," "jie dong," and "gong quan" in the sentence, then grasp the logic of the whole sentence.
Read this piece alongside the chapters of Wei Liaozi on army governance and generalship to understand its intellectual context.
Try restating in your own words the difference between a "lucky victory" and "attack rights" to test whether you have truly understood it.
After reading, write a short commentary explaining what this sentence means for understanding ancient concepts of attack.

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

What does "attack rights" mean here?

From the original text, "attack rights" refers to the discretion and restraint that offensive operations should have, rather than a lucky victory. The sentence emphasizes that generals must exercise inner decisiveness and soldiers must act with restraint; if victory depends merely on accidental factors, it cannot count as truly grasping attack rights.

Does this sentence focus on the general or the soldiers?

It discusses both, but with emphasis on the general. The original first says "if the general does not exercise inner control" and then "the soldiers do not act with restraint," showing that the general's decisiveness and the soldiers' disciplined action are interconnected; lacking either, even a victory is merely lucky rather than true attack rights.

Can reading only this piece help me understand Wei Liaozi?

Only one fragment of it. Wei Liaozi covers army governance, command, operations, and other aspects, while this piece focuses only on attack rights. To grasp the whole, one needs to read it together with other chapters of the book and relevant annotations.

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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.