On Wei, Part Two

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

Rating 2.7

Word count: 1.2K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

On military theory, none surpasses Sun Wu; on the conduct of war, none surpasses Han Xin and Duke Cao.

Editor's review

Taking the line “On military theory, none surpasses Sun Wu; on the conduct of war, none surpasses Han Xin and Duke Cao” as its central thread, On Wei III draws paradigms of military leadership from the pre-Qin era to the late Han into a single framework of discussion, reflecting the ancient tradition of evaluating figures through military thought. The work is concise in length, avoiding elaboration; with a terse and forceful style it sketches the military characteristics and relative standing of Sun Wu, Han Xin, and Cao Cao, allowing readers to see the ancient habit of discussing warfare with emphasis not on cataloguing battle examples but on insight and judgment. The 2024 new edition from Bashu Publishing House makes this traditional text of military discourse accessible to modern readers. Its value lies not in providing a systematic art-of-war tutorial but in presenting a figure-centered critical perspective on military thought, making it suitable as a supplementary reader for understanding ancient military thinking and modes of evaluating figures. It may be read alongside the original Sunzi Bingfa and the historical biographies of Han Xin and Cao Cao to better appreciate the author’s choices and emphases. Suited for keeping at one’s desk for casual reading and reflection, it should not be expected to offer detailed annotations or analyses of modern battle cases.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Humanities readers interested in ancient military thought and the tradition of character appraisal
Readers who have read Sunzi Bingfa and want to learn how ancients judged military figures
Readers who enjoy brief argumentative prose and are willing to savor insight in fragments
Beginners studying the development of military thought from the late Han to the Wei-Jin period

Not a good fit for

Military enthusiasts hoping for a systematic art-of-war tutorial or detailed battle-case analyses
Readers who prefer long-form narrative and full historical background exposition
Beginning readers of classical Chinese who need detailed annotations and vernacular translation aids

Reading tips

First read the biographies of Sun Wu, Han Xin, and Cao Cao, then return to appreciate the measured judgments in the essay
Compare the essay’s judgments with corresponding chapters of Sunzi Bingfa to see whether the author stays true to the original meaning
Read only a small section at a time and jot down where your own judgment differs from the author’s
After reading, try writing a short commentary to test whether you can restate the logic of the military discussion

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
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FAQ

Is this book a complete work on the art of war?

No. It is a figure-centered essay on military affairs whose core is evaluating the relative military standing of Sun Wu, Han Xin, and Cao Cao, not a systematic tutorial on the art of war; it should be read as a text of ancient military criticism.

Can I read it without a foundation in classical Chinese?

You can try, but it will be difficult. The original text is terse and sparing in elaboration; without experience reading classical Chinese, it is advisable first to use vernacular readings of relevant historical biographies to become familiar with the background, then return to the original and read sentence by sentence without rushing.

Why discuss Sun Wu, Han Xin, and Cao Cao together?

The three represent, respectively, paradigms of military writing, practical command in war, and combined strategic talent and achievement; by contrasting “military theory” with “conduct of war,” the author uses types of figures to develop judgments, embodying the ancient emphasis on insight in discussions of military affairs.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

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.