Eight Stratagems

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

2.4

Word count: 692 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

The ancients who were skilled in casting yarrow stalks and scorching turtle shells could reveal the ancient within the present, the present within the ancient; the high within the low, the low within the high; the great within the small, the small within the great; the many within the one, the one within the many; things within people, people within things; others within the self, the self within others. As Guan Yinzi said, 'Casting lots is a thing.' This is the Way: it comes without a present, it goes without a past.

Editor's review

Though brief, Eight Counters uses "counters" as a springboard to discuss the mutual reflection between ancient and modern, high and low, large and small, the many and the one, self and other, carrying a distinct Daoist speculative flavor. The book unfolds through the words of Guan Yinzi, stressing that opposing categories are not isolated but mutually contain and reveal one another, an approach close to the ancient philosophical tradition of "relatives arising together." This reprint by Bashu Press offers readers a chance to reexamine this kind of short philosophical text. Its value lies not in presenting a systematic doctrine but in suggesting, through concise statements, a way of seeing the world: not clinging to one side, but perceiving connections within oppositions. Read it slowly, savoring the shifts between categories sentence by sentence, and it may be read alongside relevant chapters of Guan Yinzi to understand its intellectual sources and expressive features.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in ancient Chinese philosophy and Daoist dialectical thought
Readers who enjoy short philosophical texts and savor them sentence by sentence
University students of philosophy or Chinese literature using it as supplementary reading
Readers seeking calm, concentrated reading and preferring concise expression

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic philosophical argumentation and rigorous logical deduction
General readers seeking plot-driven or story-based entertainment

Reading tips

Read only a short passage at a time; after each, pause and retell in your own words the relationship between the opposed categories.
Keep paper and pen ready; list the paired terms—ancient/present, high/low, great/small, many/one—and sketch how they transform into one another.
If possible, read alongside relevant texts of the Guan Yinzi to grasp how this book inherits and develops them.

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
八筹筹者，物也。

FAQ

What is The Eight Lots about?

Using 'lots' as a metaphor, it discusses the mutual manifestation of ancient and present, high and low, great and small, many and one, people and things, self and others, with a Daoist speculative flavor. The book is short; its focus is not systematic argument but a way of seeing that avoids clinging to one side and finds connection within opposites.

Do I need prior knowledge of Daoist philosophy to read this book?

Systematic study of Daoist philosophy is not required, though some general knowledge of ancient philosophy helps. The sentences are concise and full of paired categories; beginners can read through once without aiming for full comprehension, then revisit each section and use annotations to understand key terms.

Why is the book called The Eight Lots?

'Lots' originally means counting or planning devices; here it is used to introduce the weighing and contemplation of various opposed categories. What the 'eight' specifically refers to is not documented in detail; readers need not dwell on numerical etymology but should focus on the speculative approach developed through the 'lots' metaphor.

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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.