The Use of Troops

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

2.6

Word count: 628 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Confucius said: "Why call it inauspicious? When the sage uses arms, it is to forbid cruelty and stop violence throughout the world; when the greedy of later ages use arms, it is to cut down the common people and endanger the state."

Editor's review

Centered on the theme of "using arms," this book begins with the contrast between "forbidding cruelty and stopping violence" and "cutting down the common people and endangering the state," presenting the cautious attitude toward the use of force in traditional thought. Quoting Confucius, it distinguishes the sage's use of arms from the greedy man's use of arms, stressing that the legitimacy of using arms lies in stopping violence and bringing peace to the people, not in flaunting strength or seeking gain. This perspective makes the book more than a discussion of military affairs; it touches on the restraint of power and the relationship between ends and means. Concise in length and clear in viewpoint, it serves as a reference when discussing the ethics of war or the boundaries of organizational decision-making. Readers might understand "using arms" as any decision to resort to forceful means, and consider when to use them, for whom, and where the boundaries lie—turning an ancient discussion into a probing of real choices.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in traditional military thought and the ethics of war
Decision-makers and managers who need to consider the boundaries of using forceful means
Readers who enjoy aphoristic short essays and want quick access to viewpoints
Students in the humanities and social sciences using it as supplementary reading in intellectual history

Not a good fit for

Military enthusiasts expecting concrete tactics, marches, and battle formations
Researchers hoping for complete battle case analyses and historical textual research
Readers who prefer long-form argument and systematic theoretical frameworks

Reading tips

Read the quotation first, grasp the contrast between "forbidding cruelty and stopping violence" and "endangering the state," then return to the book's argument.
Replace "using arms" with forceful means in real life and examine their purposes and consequences one by one.
Excerpt key sentences and compare them with similar military or ethical texts to see how their arguments differ.
After reading, write a short commentary explaining when you would approve of using force and when you would oppose it.

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
用兵第七十五

FAQ

Does this book teach specific methods of fighting?

No. The book focuses not on marches, formations, or tactical skills but on the nature and purpose of using arms, distinguishing between stopping violence and bringing peace to the people versus harming them. If you want concrete battle methods, this book is not for you; if you want to think about the legitimacy of using force, it is very valuable.

How should I understand the quotation from Confucius?

The quotation unfolds through a rhetorical question, pointing out that the sage's use of arms lies in forbidding cruelty and stopping violence, while the greedy of later ages use arms to harm the people and endanger the state. Its core is that using arms must have a legitimate purpose and that the abuse of force must be guarded against; readers can use this to reflect on similar decisions in real life.

The book is short—will the content feel too thin?

The book consists mainly of concise argument, focusing on viewpoints rather than elaboration. Its brevity makes it easy to chew over repeatedly; readers can develop their own thoughts around a single quotation and read comparatively, supplementing the brevity through extended discussion.

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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.