Knowing Battle

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.4

Word count: 431 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

"Knowing War" is a piece of military art recorded in the ancient Chinese military book Baizhan Qilue (One Hundred Battles, Seven Strategies), taking its meaning from "foreknowledge" and intended to explain the importance of knowing in advance the area of operations and the time of battle. It holds that before sending troops to attack the enemy, only by knowing in advance the place and time of battle can one be fully prepared, defend firmly, maneuver the enemy, and defeat him. The old saying goes: "In all things, preparation leads to success; lack of preparation leads to failure" (see the Doctrine of the Mean in the Book of Rites). That is, in doing anything, if one plans and prepares in advance, one can stand on the ground of success; conversely, without prior planning and preparation, one will fail. The practice of war is no exception. Historical experience shows that without prior planning and sufficient preparation, it is impossible to defeat the enemy and win a war. Only by making careful prior plans and concrete dispositions for the area of operations and the time of battle on which war depends, in accordance with objective actual conditions, can one gain the initiative in war and win victory over the enemy. This piece recognizes this point and states: "Know the battle area, know the battle day, and what is prepared will be focused, what is defended will be firm." This is very reasonable.

Editor's review

"Knowing War" is selected from the ancient military book Baizhan Qilue, and its core proposition is a single sentence: only by knowing in advance the area of operations and the time of battle can one achieve "what is prepared will be focused, what is defended will be firm." The text cites the Doctrine of the Mean—"in all things, preparation leads to success; lack of preparation leads to failure"—as support, raising planning and preparation to the level that determines the success or failure of war, and points out that only careful disposition based on objective reality can maneuver the enemy and win the initiative. This text is not long, yet it explains the relationship between "knowing" and "war" very thoroughly: it does not vaguely say one must prepare, but stresses knowing the two concrete coordinates of "where to fight and when to fight," so that preparation is targeted. This way of thinking also holds today in project planning, competitive response, and even daily arrangements. It is suitable for readers interested in ancient military thought, and also for people who need to strengthen their sense of planning and improve their methods of preparation. The language is concise and the meaning clear, and it can be understood without a background in military studies.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers interested in ancient military books and strategy
Managers who need to strengthen prior planning and preparation
Readers who like short classical prose and hope to accumulate traditional wisdom
Ordinary readers facing important tasks who want to clarify their preparation ideas

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking concrete tactical cases and detailed military-historical analysis
Military researchers expecting a systematic textbook of military theory

Reading tips

First read the original text and explanation, grasp the core "know the battle area, know the battle day," then review one of your recent pending tasks.
Copy "in all things, preparation leads to success; lack of preparation leads to failure" alongside "what is prepared will be focused, what is defended will be firm" and reflect on the relationship between planning and focus.
After reading, try to summarize in two sentences: what to prepare for, and why prepare—testing whether you have truly understood.

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
知战

FAQ

What specifically does "knowing" in "knowing war" mean?

The text clearly points out two things to know in advance: the area of operations (battle area) and the time of battle (battle day). Knowing where to fight and when to fight allows preparation to be focused and defense to be firm, and then allows one to maneuver and defeat the enemy.

What does this military text's citation of the Book of Rites show?

By citing "in all things, preparation leads to success; lack of preparation leads to failure," the text places war preparation within a more general principle of doing things: anything planned and prepared in advance can stand, and without planning and preparation it will fail—war is no exception.

Can someone without a military background understand it?

Yes. The whole text is not long, and the discussion revolves around "knowing the battle area and battle day in advance." The logic is clear and does not depend on specialized terminology. As long as one understands the idea of "planning and preparation," one can grasp the main point and transfer it to daily work and life.

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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.