Chen Ji Asks About Fortifications

孙膑Bashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.0

Word count: 779 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Tian Ji asked Sunzi, “Our troops are few and cannot see one another; what should be done in such a situation?” He replied, “Pass the order to hurry the crossbows and stretch the bows; the crossbows □□□□□… cannot be restrained—what is to be done?” Sunzi said, “This is the question of a wise commander. Such matters are what people overlook and do not treat as urgent. This is why □… swift… resolve.” Tian Ji said, “May I hear it?” He said, “Yes. One who employs this responds within sudden distress, narrow passes, and death ground. This is how I captured Pang □ and seized the crown prince Shen.” Tian Ji said, “Good. The affair is past and its form cannot be seen.”

Editor's review

This is a highly unusual chapter of Sun Bin’s Art of War. Built as a dialogue between Tian Ji and Sun Bin, it discusses how to deploy crossbows and steady morale when troops are few, terrain is unfavorable, and the situation is desperate. The text is full of lacunae, reading like a damaged battlefield notebook; yet precisely because of its gaps, it preserves the concrete tactical texture of pre-Qin military thought. This 2024 Bashu Press edition is suited as a close-range entry into Sun Bin’s military thinking: it offers no grand narrative, but draws readers into the urgent scene of “few troops unable to see one another” and “narrow passes and death ground,” showing how ancient commanders turned limited forces into executable orders. Read it alongside other chapters of Sun Bin’s Art of War, note how lacunae affect interpretation, and consult scholarship on the Yinqueshan Han slips to appreciate the judgment required in editing excavated texts. For general readers it is less an easy popularization than a short, demanding specimen of military thought.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with basic knowledge of pre-Qin military thought and Sun Bin’s Art of War
Readers interested in excavated texts and bamboo-silk studies who are patient with lacunae
Military history enthusiasts studying ancient tactical deployment and morale management
Students of ancient Chinese or textual scholarship seeking contact with primary texts

Not a good fit for

Beginners expecting complete stories or popular military narratives
Casual readers unwilling to confront extensive lacunae and textual notes
Readers without grounding in pre-Qin texts who do not intend to use annotations

Reading tips

Read the complete dialogue passages between Tian Ji and Sun Bin first, then return to the more lacunary sections.
Compare with other chapters of Sun Bin’s Art of War to trace his core military ideas and terminology.
When encountering lacuna marks, infer meaning from context first, then check the editor’s treatment.
After reading, restate in your own words the logic of response under “few troops” and “narrow pass” conditions to test comprehension.

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
陈忌问垒

FAQ

What does this chapter, “Chen Ji Wen Lei,” mainly discuss?

According to the given material, it takes the form of Tian Ji’s questions and Sun Bin’s answers, discussing how to respond when troops are few and cannot support one another and one is in narrow passes or death ground; it involves concrete tactical issues such as transmitting orders, deploying crossbows, and steadying morale.

The original has many lacunae. Can general readers read it?

Yes, but expectations should be adjusted. Lacunae affect coherence; use the editor’s notes and explanations, first grasp the gist of readable passages, and do not insist on settling every character. Focus on Sun Bin’s way of thinking through crisis situations.

The book mentions “captured Pang □ and seized the crown prince Shen.” How should this be understood?

Sun Bin is using his own experience as an example to show that the tactics described worked in a crisis. Details cannot be fully restored because of lacunae; read it as an illustration of the chapter’s tactical argument rather than as an independent, complete historical narrative.

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About the author

孙膑 Author

Sun Bin is a renowned military strategist in ancient China. Publicly available information about the details of his life is limited, and neither his dates of birth and death nor his nationality are clearly recorded. Three of his works are collected here, including Guan Yi, Chen Ji Wen Lei, and Sun Bin's Art of War from the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. These texts are mostly related to military strategy and military thought, yet they are commonly classified under social fiction and Eastern philosophy, which shows that in later transmission his writings combined intellectual depth with narrative qualities. Sun Bin's writing is concise and practical, making good use of questions and answers and case examples to expound the art of war, emphasizing assessing the situation and defeating the enemy by adapting to circumstances. His ideas have influenced later military theory and philosophical thinking. Owing to limited historical sources, his life cannot be described in detail, and readers should appreciate his intellectual concerns through the surviving chapters.