China  Chinese Military Works  Chinese Military Strategy  Seven Military Classics of Ancient China

The Seven Military Classics is the term of official military textbooks of ancient China, including Sun Zi, Wu Zi, The Methods of the Sima, Wei Liaozi, Three strategies of Huang Shigong, Taigong's Six Strategies, and The Questions and Replies of Tang, that are compiled works from the Pre-Qin Day to the Tang-Song Dynasties. It is recognized today as the most influential, and oldest know military strategy guide. What is more, it is a mirror that reflects both the philosophical, political and the practical aspects of the most ancient wisdoms on the planet. The Seven Military Classics provides a phenomenal look at eastern military tactics and strategy. It is truly a must read for anyone interested in military theory or international relations, particularly with China once again ascendant on the world stage.

Sunzi: The Art of War
Sun Bin: The Art of War

Sunzi: The Art of War
Sun Bin: The Art of War
Library of Chinese classics Chinese-English edition, ancient Chinese original text, modern Chinese translation and English translation
Edited and translated into modern Chinese by Wu Rusong and Wu Xianlin
Translated into English by Lin Wusun
Published by Foreign Languages Press and Hunan People's Publishing House, 1999
Hardcover, library binding, 304 pages
ISBN 7119024124

Sunzi (a.k.a. Sun Tze): The Art of War is the earliest and most valuable Chinese treatise on military science extant, dating from the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.). The book is a condensation of the experience of warfare in that historical era, with the emphasis on precautionary and intelligence strategy. By revealing the nature and important rules of warfare. Sunzi: The Art of War has had a tremendous influence on military, political and philosophical thought in China. Down the ages it has been called a "military classic," and its author a "military genius." This work, now over 2,000 years old, has been translated into various languages since the 17th century, and even today has a profound influence all over the world.

Sun Bin: The Art of War is another ancient Chinese classic dealing with military science, written during the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). Sun Bin was a direct descendant of Sunzi. It incorporates the experience of warfare into this later historical period. It inherits and develops the military theories contained in Sunzi: The Art of War, and has been lauded throughout the ages. Sun Bin: The Art of War was lost for about 1,000 years, until 1972, when a copy of the work written on strips of bamboo was found in a tomb dating from the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 220) at Yinqueshan, near Linyi in Shandong Province. The present translation, the first into English of Sun Bin: The Art of War, is based on editing work done on the bamboo strips.

Wu Zi  The Methods of the Sima  Wei Liao Zi

Library of Chinese Classics: Wu Zi | The Methods of the Sima | Wei Liao Zi (Chinese-English)
Edited and translated into modern Chinese by Wang Shijin, Huang Pumin, and Ren Li
Translated into English by Pan Jiabin
Published by Military Science Publishing House, 2005
Library binding book, dimensions 960 x 640, 1/16, hardcover, 355 pages
ISBN: 7801377214
ISBN: 9787801377210

Wu Zi, a well-known military book of ancient China, was one of the Seven Mitary Classics designated by the Emperor in the Song Dynasty. The author was Wu Qi (440 BC -381 BC), a famous military scientist, statesman and reformer in the early Warring States Period. It elaborates on the guidelines of ruling a state and controlling an army, examines the causes of war and its various types, stresses the flexible methods of combat, proposes the principles and means of training, dwells on the importance of generals and the means of giving rewards and punishments.

The Methods of the Sima, a well-known military book of ancient China, was one of the Seven Military Classics designated by the Emperor in the Song Dynasty. It explains the fundamental theory of wa and the important principles for directing an army. What's more precious in this book are the ancient military institutions, orders and rites. So it was a more important military book in the category of "military laws" in the Pre-Qin Days. It influence can be seen in many of the military books in ancient China later, including Sun Zi's Art of War.

Wei Liao Zi, a well-known military book of ancient China, was one of the Seven Military Classics designated by the Emperor in the Song Dynasty. With its naive materialist thinking, it holds that correct political tactics and economic measures are the basic guarantee for military victory. It maintains that a war can be won by three ways: "by Dao (Right Way)," "by awesomeness," and "by strength." It stresses running military affairs according to law and elaborates many things about military training.

The Three Strategies of Huang Shigong  Questions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li Weigong

Library of Chinese Classics: The Three Strategies of Huang Shigong | Questions and Replies Between Tang Taizong and Li Weigong (Chinese-English)
Edited and translated into modern Chinese by Huang Pumin and Xiao Dawei
Translated into English by He Xiaodong
Published by Military Science Publishing House, 2005
Library binding book, dimensions 960 x 640, 1/16, hardcover, 265 pages
ISBN: 7801377206
ISBN: 9787801377203

The Three Strategies of Huang Shigon, a renowned ancient Chinese military book, was one of the Seven Military Classics designated by the Emperor in the Song Dynasty. It may be written in the late years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The most prominent conceptual characteristic of this book is that: to take All Under Heaven with Daoist strategies, to command the army with Legalist doctrines, to analyze the situation from the viewpoints of the Yin-Yang School, and to recruit worthies in line with the Moist conception of talents. It learns from merits of all schools and makes them mutually supplementary each other to become an integrated system of military thoughts with its own characteristics. It stresses studying military issues in perspective of the nation's overall strategy and focuses on how to command and to control the generals.

Questions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li Weigong, a well-known military book of ancient Chinese, was one of the Seven Military Classics designated by the Emperor in the Song Dynasty. It was written in a style of dialogues between Tang Taizong (the second Emperor in the Tang Dynasty) and Li Jing (the Duke of Wei) on the art of war. It systematically summarizes the traditional Chinese military theories, touching topics such as sources of military theory, strategic gains and losses, battle formation, evolution of military organizations, main principles of running an army, ways of selecting and employing right people, military tactics, and cases of specific battles. It makes critical remarks on people or things in the past and at present, and tackles the problems at their roots. Comments on the gains and losses of the ancients and discussions on the essence of the art of war on the basis of the past examples are characteristics of this book.

The Six Strategies

Library of Chinese Classics: The Six Strategies (Chinese-English)
Edited and translated into modern Chinese by Kong Deqi
Translated into English by Nie Songlai
Published by Military Science Publishing House, 2005
Library binding book, dimensions 960 x 640, 1/16, hardcover, 265 pages
ISBN: 7101042965
ISBN: 9787101049268

The Six Strategies, also named Tai Gong's Six Strategies, is a well-know military book of ancient China and one of the Seven Military Classics designated by the Emperor in the Song Dynasty. It has six chapters - "The Civil Strategy," "the Martial Strategy," "the Dragon Strategy," "the  Tiger Strategy," "the Leopard Strategy," and "the Canine Strategy," sixty sections, and about twenty-three thousand Chinese words, si ti is the longest military work of ancient China in the Pre-Qin Days.

It takes the form of dialogues between Taigong (Jiang Shang) and King Wen or King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty. So the author is thus attributed to King Wen's teacher Jiang Shang. Jiang Shang, also named Jiang Wang or Lue Wang, was one of the founding fathers of the Zhou Dynasty and a famous strategist and politician. However, researchers argue that, it was written in the late period of the Warring States. So it is a book written in Jiang Shang's name.

The Six Strategies means the six kinds of strategy to conduct the war. In the first two parts, the strategies in war are studied, and in the following four parts, the principles, tactics, and many technical questions in war are focally discussed. It is characterized by its rich, unique, full and clear contents that cover many areas such as politics, economy, diplomacy, strategy, tactics, strategy theory, army building, national defense mobilization, staff work, and security, etc.. With its integrated system, it can be regarded as the most comprehensive military work in the period in the Pre-Qin Days.

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