Doubtful Battle

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.0

Word count: 328 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Yizhan (Doubtful Arrays) is a treatise on the art of war recorded in the ancient Chinese military classic Baizhan Qilue (One Hundred Strategies from a Hundred Battles), intended to explain how to set up deceptive arrays in battle to confuse the enemy. It holds that different combat intentions call for different deceptive methods. When preparing to raid the enemy, one may "gather brushwood and display many banners" to falsely suggest the presence of our camp and draw the enemy's attention, while striking from the other side while he guards one flank; when withdrawing to avoid the enemy, one sets up empty arrays falsely suggesting a stationed force and quietly retreats, and the enemy will surely not dare pursue rashly. Setting deceptive arrays is in fact a "showing of form" to create false appearances and disguise oneself to confuse the enemy—one of the tactics commonly employed by strategists in ancient Chinese warfare. Materialist dialectics holds that everything has two sides: since we can use false appearances to confuse the enemy, we too may be confused by the enemy's false appearances. Therefore, seeing through appearances to the essence, acting on objective reality, and adopting effective tactics to defeat the enemy is an important principle that must be followed in directing war. Only a commander who is truly adept both at confusing the enemy with false appearances and at not being confused by the enemy's false appearances deserves to be called a resourceful and decisive director of war.

Editor's review

Though brief, this book is a key to understanding the idea of "showing form to confuse the enemy" in ancient Chinese military thought. The text centers on the chapter "Yizhan" in Baizhan Qilue, focusing on two typical scenarios: when raiding, gathering brushwood and displaying many banners to feign a stationed force and lure the enemy into guarding one flank while striking the other; when retreating, setting up empty arrays to feign a stationed force and quietly withdrawing so the enemy dares not pursue rashly. Its value lies not in length but in presenting deceptive arrays as an operable tactical logic while making a key dialectical point: just as we can create false appearances, we can also be deceived by them, so one must see through appearances to the essence and determine tactics according to actual conditions. This treatment of both "using deception" and "seeing through deception" lifts it beyond a mere tactical entry and gives it a methodological significance. The 2024 Bashu Press edition is suitable as a topical selection in military studies, to be read alongside other chapters of Baizhan Qilue. As for reading contexts, it suits readers interested in ancient military thought and strategic culture for close reading of a short text, and also suits readers in writing or management who wish to extend their thinking from the angle of "information and judgment." Note that the text is in classical Chinese; consult annotations, and do not read it as a complete military history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Baizhan Qilue and ancient military strategy who wish to close-read a short text
Those who want to understand the methodology of "showing form to confuse the enemy" and "seeing through appearances to the essence"
Those engaged in strategy, management, or writing who wish to extend their thinking through military-strategy concepts
Students with some grounding in classical Chinese willing to read a short military text with annotations

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic military history or detailed case studies of complete campaigns
Those hoping for modern military theory or a practical command manual
Beginners who struggle with classical Chinese and are unwilling to use annotations
Readers who want long narrative storytelling rather than entries on the art of war

Reading tips

Read the original text once through, then use annotations to work through sentence by sentence the two deceptive-array uses: "raiding" and "retreating."
Read alongside other chapters of Baizhan Qilue and observe how the idea of "showing form" varies across different tactics.
While reading, list on a sheet of paper the key points of "using deception" and "guarding against deception" to help grasp the text's dialectical structure.
You may add brief notes connecting to real-life situations of information judgment, but avoid applying ancient tactics directly to modern life.

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
疑战

FAQ

What is Yizhan mainly about?

It explains how to set up deceptive arrays in battle to confuse the enemy, including feigning a stationed force when raiding to lure the enemy and setting empty arrays when retreating so the enemy dares not pursue rashly; it also reminds commanders both to use false appearances well and to guard against being deceived by the enemy's.

Why does this treatise emphasize "seeing through appearances to the essence"?

Because deceptive arrays are essentially a means of creating false appearances and disguising oneself, but false appearances have two sides: one's own side can use them, and so can the enemy. The text therefore points out that only by judging according to objective reality, and being able both to use deception and to see through it, can one be called resourceful and decisive.

Do I need to read all of Baizhan Qilue first to read this chapter?

No. This chapter can be read independently; first understand the two uses of deceptive arrays and the dialectical reminder. For deeper study, read it alongside other chapters of Baizhan Qilue to better see the place of "showing form to confuse the enemy" in the whole book.

Is this small volume suitable as military history?

Not really. It is closer to entries on the art of war and tactical exposition than to systematic military history or a collection of campaign case studies. Readers should treat it as a short selection of ancient military thought and use annotations to understand its methodological significance.

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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.