Expounding Strategies

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaAug 2024

3.5

Word count: 329 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Someone said: "When Chen Ping lifted the siege of Pingcheng for Emperor Gao, he said: 'The matter is secret; the world cannot hear of it.'"

Editor's review

This book organizes relevant writings around the theme of "shuce" (expounding strategies). It opens by quoting the saying that "Chen Ping lifted the siege of Pingcheng for Emperor Gao" and points out the documentary dilemma in the record: "the matter is secret; the world cannot hear of it." Though short, it places before the reader a thought-provoking question: when a key strategy cannot be recorded in detail because of secrecy, how should later generations understand and evaluate it? The text thus has a distinct flavor of historiographical reflection; it does not win by unfolding a story but by concise quotation, pointing to the boundaries and blanks in the records of strategy. For readers concerned with ancient strategy, the formation of historical sources, and the limits of narrative, this "stop where it should" approach leaves room for thought. It should be read as a note on "how to record strategy," with attention to the measure between quotation and commentary, and without expecting a complete narrative of Chen Ping's deeds. It is suitable for reading alongside pieces such as *Yuanzhan*, to appreciate the concise yet subtly meaningful style of ancient military writing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers concerned with ancient strategy and the recording of historical sources
Readers studying ancient military texts who need short material for thematic discussion
Readers who enjoy savoring implications in concise quotations and extending their own reflections
Teachers seeking short classical Chinese texts as discussion material for reading groups or classes

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a complete account of Chen Ping's life or detailed battle cases
Readers who prefer systematic theoretical exposition and expect lengthy interpretation
Beginning readers with little interest in classical quotations and source criticism

Reading tips

Read the quotation first, then consider what question the line "the matter is secret; the world cannot hear of it" raises, and return to the text with that question in mind.
Read alongside *Yuanzhan* and compare the different approaches to quotation and commentary in the two pieces.
After reading, try to summarize the core concern of this piece in your own words, testing whether you have grasped the point about the limits of historical sources.

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
述策第十四

FAQ

What does "the matter is secret; the world cannot hear of it" mean?

It means that Chen Ping's specific plan to lift the siege of Pingcheng for Emperor Gao of Han was confidential, so the world could not learn the details. The line points out that records of strategy often leave blanks because of secrecy, and it also warns later readers not to make rash judgments about such historical matters.

Why is this piece short and mainly quotation?

From the given material, the piece opens by quoting the saying about Chen Ping lifting the siege and then immediately notes that the matter was secret and hard to learn of; the text is concise. This approach focuses on the limits of historical records rather than unfolding a narrative of deeds, and readers should grasp its meaning from the measure between quotation and commentary.

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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.