Training for War

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.0

Word count: 304 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

This is a military treatise recorded in the ancient Chinese military book Baizhan Qilue (One Hundred Stratagems), intended to expound the importance of strengthening the education and training of troops. It holds that to wage war, one must first strengthen the education and training of troops. Only by conducting training well in peacetime, enabling the entire army to master tactical methods and become familiar with combat commands, can the troops act accordingly in actual combat when they see changes in command banners and advance or retreat freely upon hearing the sounds of gongs and drums.

Editor's review

Jiaozhan (Teaching War) is taken from the ancient Chinese military book Baizhan Qilue (One Hundred Stratagems). Though brief, it concentrates on the governance principle of "training before fighting." The text emphasizes that before raising troops, education and training must be done well so that the entire army masters tactical methods and becomes familiar with combat commands, enabling them in actual combat to act upon seeing banners and advance or retreat freely upon hearing drums and gongs. This idea transcends specific battle formations and reveals the causal relationship between training and actual combat: sweat more in peacetime so as to bleed less in war. The 2024 edition from Bashu Publishing House makes it easy for readers to access the original text and is suitable as introductory material for understanding ancient Chinese military education thought. When reading, one can compare it with discussions in Sunzi Bingfa (The Art of War) such as "instruct them with civility, unify them with martial means" to appreciate the ancient strategists' emphasis on discipline and training. For readers in management, education, team building, and other fields, the logic of "teach first, fight later" in the text also offers analogous inspiration. Note that this is a single chapter of a military book with concise content; one should not expect systematic elaboration of military theory.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Introductory readers interested in ancient Chinese military thought
Managers seeking inspiration for team training and management
Primary and secondary school Chinese or history teachers using it as extension material
Readers who enjoy short classical Chinese texts and wish to read original sources casually

Not a good fit for

Advanced researchers expecting systematic military theory monographs
Readers needing modern military training operation manuals
Those unaccustomed to reading classical Chinese or the genre of ancient military books

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the general idea, then consult annotations to understand key terms sentence by sentence.
While reading, excerpt sentences related to "teaching" and "war," and consider the causal relationship between training and actual combat.
Read alongside other chapters of Baizhan Qilue or Sunzi Bingfa to compare views on training.
After reading, try restating the core logic of "train first, fight later" in modern team management scenarios.

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
教战

FAQ

Is Jiaozhan a complete book?

No. Jiaozhan is a chapter in the ancient military book Baizhan Qilue. It is relatively short and mainly discusses the importance of strengthening troop education and training. The 2024 edition from Bashu Publishing House can be read as a single chapter or selected chapter; it should not be expected as a lengthy monograph.

Can readers without a classical Chinese foundation understand it?

The text is concise but involves ancient military terminology and classical Chinese expression. Readers without a classical Chinese foundation are advised to choose an edition with annotations or translation, first grasp the general idea before reading the original closely, and use reference books for key words and phrases; the difficulty is relatively manageable.

What use is this military treatise to modern readers?

The text emphasizes that only when peacetime training is thorough and commands are familiar can one advance and retreat freely in war. This logic can be analogized to team training, emergency drills, and daily management: thorough preparation leads to smooth execution. Readers can extract the "teach first, fight later" way of thinking without being limited to military scenarios.

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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.