Martial Strategy

AnonymousJinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJun 2024

4.3

Word count: 2.2K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The Six Secret Teachings is divided into six volumes titled Civil, Military, Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, and Dog, comprising sixty-one chapters and nearly twenty thousand characters. Volume One, Civil, contains twelve chapters: "Civil Instruction," "Fullness and Emptiness," "State Affairs," "Great Rites," "Clear Instruction," "Six Guardians," "Guarding the Land," "Guarding the State," "Revering Worthies," "Promoting Worthies," "Rewards and Punishments," and "The Way of Arms."

Editor's review

Wutao (The Martial Stratagem) is one of the six volumes of Liutao (The Six Stratagems). Traditionally attributed to an anonymous author, it unfolds in the form of dialogues between King Wen and King Wu of Zhou and Taigong, building its arguments layer by layer around such topics as governing the state and directing military operations, selecting the worthy and dispensing rewards and punishments, defending territory, and the way of war. The text relies heavily on question-and-answer exchanges and parallel constructions, and is clearly organized. It is not only an important document of pre-Qin military thought but also preserves the ancient way of thinking about the relationship between politics and military affairs. Its value for readers lies not only in stratagems and tactics but in observing how it discusses the "civil" and the "martial," statecraft and military command, within a single framework. It is suitable as an introductory study for readers interested in pre-Qin classics and ancient military thought, and may also serve as a reference for understanding later military writings and strategic discourse. When reading, one should first survey the structure of the whole volume, then read each chapter closely, and pay attention to ideas marked by their era, avoiding any simple application to present-day realities.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Introductory readers interested in pre-Qin military writings and ancient Chinese military thought
Students and self-learners studying classical Chinese texts on ancient politics and strategy
Teachers who need chapters from Liutao for classroom explanation or thematic reading
Readers of literary and historical interests who enjoy question-and-answer classics and wish to understand the origins of the Taigong figure

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for modern military theory or practical operational guides
Readers unwilling to read classical Chinese or lacking basic knowledge of Old Chinese
Those who apply the book's strategic content directly as rules for dealing with real life

Reading tips

First review the order of chapters in the whole volume to grasp the overall structure from statecraft to military operations, then read each chapter closely.
After each chapter, summarize in your own words the main points of Taigong's answers, clarifying the arguments and examples.
For passages on rewards and punishments or selecting the worthy, compare them with other pre-Qin classics to identify similarities and differences.

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
武韬

FAQ

What is the relationship between Wutao and Liutao?

Liutao is divided into six volumes—Wen, Wu, Long, Hu, Bao, and Quan—and Wutao is one of them. Sources indicate that Liutao contains sixty-one chapters and nearly twenty thousand characters, with each volume grouping several chapters under a different title. When reading, one may first understand the framework of the whole book before entering the individual chapters of Wutao.

Is the book entirely about fighting wars?

Not entirely. Judging from the chapter titles listed in the sources, Wutao also deals with such topics as defending territory, guarding the state, honoring the worthy, recommending the worthy, rewards and punishments, and the way of war. It covers both governance and military principles, and is closer to a discussion of politics and military affairs together than to a pure tactical manual.

How should one read it with weak classical Chinese foundations?

One may begin with shorter chapters with clear topics, use annotations to work through each sentence, and then review the general meaning of the whole chapter. The question-and-answer structure is relatively clear; grasping "what is asked and what is answered" is easier than forcing a word-by-word translation.

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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.