Primary Source Document

with Questions (DBQs)

SELECTION FROM THE CONFUCIAN ANALECTS:
ON WAR

Introduction
Confucius (the Latinized version of Kong Fuzi, master Kong) or, to call him by his proper name, Kong Qiu (551-479
BCE) lived at a time of political turmoil and transition. The China of his time consisted of a number of small feudal
states, which, although theoretically subject to the kings of the Zhou Dynasty, were actually independent. Confucius
and many of his contemporaries were concerned about the state of turmoil, competition, and warfare between the
feudal states. They sought philosophical and practical solutions to the problems of government solutions that,
they hoped, would lead to a restoration of unity and stability. Confucius had no notable success as a government
official, but he was renowned even in his own time as a teacher. His followers recorded his teachings a generation or
two after his death, and these teachings remain influential in China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan to this day. The
anecdotes and records of short conversations compiled by his disciples go under the English title of the Analects. The
excerpts from the Analects presented below are specifically concerned with war (a subject on which Confucius said
very little).

Selected Document Excerpt with Questions

From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1999), 57. 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights
reserved.

SelectionfromtheConfucianAnalects:
OnWar

13:29
The Master said, When a good man has taught the common people for seven
years,theyshouldbereadytobeemployedinwar.

13:30
The Master said, To lead the people to war without having taught them is to
throwthemaway.

Questions:
1. What is Confucius attitude toward war?
2. What do these excerpts indicate about Confucius understanding of the
relationship between the ruler and his people?

Prim ar y S our ce Doc um ent

wit h Qu est io ns ( D BQs)
SELECTIONS FROM THE SUNZI (ART OF WAR)

Int rod uct io n

During the Eastern Zhou period (770-221 BCE) the Zhou kings exercised little real power. The feudal lords of the
various constituent parts of the Zhou set themselves up as the kings of independent states and fought innumerable
battles against each other in a constantly shifting pattern of alliances and enmities. It was in this context that men
like Confucius, Mencius, Lord Shang, Han Fei and others offered their advice and services to the various feudal lords
as civilian officials and political advisers. At the same time, other men offered their expertise in the arts of war. The
most famous of the military strategists of the Eastern Zhou period is Sunzi (also called Sun Wu), the putative author
of a collection of teachings entitled Sunzis Art of War. As in the case of Laozi, there is no firm evidence that Sunzi
existed. He is supposed to have been a contemporary of Confucius, but the book bearing his name was compiled a
hundred years later, sometime in the second half of the fourth century BCE. Whatever the identity of the author or
authors, the Art of War has had tremendous influence in China over the ages. It has also been read in military schools
and corporate boardrooms around the world by men and women hoping to gain an advantage in the dog-eat-dog
worlds of war and business.

Docu ment E xc erpt s w it h Questio ns (Longer selection follows this section)

From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1999), 216-219. 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights
reserved.

SelectionsfromtheSunzi(ArtofWar)

The military is a great matter of the state. It is the ground of life and death, the Way (dao) of
survivalorextinction.Onecannotbutinvestigateit.Thusbaseitinthefive.Comparebymeans
oftheappraisals,andsoseekoutitsnature.
The first is the way (dao), the second is Heaven, the third is Earth, the fourth is the
general,thefifthismethod.
The Way is what orders the people to have the same purpose as their superior. Thus
theycandiewithhim,livewithhim,andnotharbordeceit.

Themilitaryisaway(dao)ofdeception.
Thuswhenable,manifestinability.Whenactive,manifestinactivity.
Whennear,manifestasfar.Whenfar,manifestasnear.
Whenheseeksadvantage,lurehim.
Whenheisinchaos,takehim.

Prim ar y S our ce Doc um ent , wit h Qu est io ns (D BQ) o n SE LE CTI ONS FR OM TH E SUN ZI ( AR T OF W AR)

Whenheissubstantial,prepareagainsthim.
Whenheisstrong,avoidhim.
Attackwhereheisunprepared.Emergewherehedoesnotexpect.
Thesearethevictoriesofthemilitarylineage.Theycannotbetransmittedinadvance.

Whatismeantbyskilledistobevictoriousovertheeasilydefeated.Thusthebattlesof
the skilled are without extraordinary victory, without reputation for wisdom, and
withoutmeritforcourage.
Thus ones victories are without error. Being without error, what one arranges is
necessarilyvictorious,sinceoneisvictoriousoverthealreadydefeated.
One skilled at battle takes a stand in the ground of nodefeat and so does not lose the
enemysdefeat.
Therefore, the victorious military is first victorious and after that does battle. The
defeatedmilitaryfirstdoesbattleandafterthatseeksvictory.

Quest io ns:
1.
2.
3.

Compare Sunzis thinking on war with the understanding of the Dao

articulated in the Daodejing (The Classic of the Way and its Power). Are there
similarities between the two?
What would a Confucian scholar think of the ideas expressed here? Is
Confucius understanding of the Way the same as that of Sunzi?
What does Sunzi mean when he says that the victorious military is first
victorious and after that does battle?

Lo nger S electio n
From Sources of Chinese Tradition, compiled by Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1999), 216-219. 1999 Columbia University Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights
reserved.

SelectionsfromtheSunzi(ArtofWar)

FundamentalDefinitions
The military is a great matter of the state. It is the ground of life and death, the Way (dao) of
survivalorextinction.Onecannotbutinvestigateit.Thusbaseitinthefive.Comparebymeans
oftheappraisals,andsoseekoutitsnature.
The first is the way (dao), the second is Heaven, the third is Earth, the fourth is the
general,thefifthismethod.
The Way is what orders the people to have the same purpose as their superior. Thus
theycandiewithhim,livewithhim,andnotharbordeceit.

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Prim ar y S our ce Doc um ent , wit h Qu est io ns (D BQ) o n SE LE CTI ONS FR OM TH E SUN ZI ( AR T OF W AR)

Heaven is yin and yang, cold and hot, the order of the seasons. Going with it, going
againstitthisismilitaryvictory.
Earthishighandlow,broadandnarrow,farandnear,steepandlevel,deathandlife.
Thegeneraliswisdom,trustworthiness,courage,andstrictness.
Methodisorderingdivisions,thewayofranking,andprincipalsupply.

DeceptionandReversal
Themilitaryisaway(dao)ofdeception.
Thuswhenable,manifestinability.Whenactive,manifestinactivity.
Whennear,manifestasfar.Whenfar,manifestasnear.
Whenheseeksadvantage,lurehim.
Whenheisinchaos,takehim.
Whenheissubstantial,prepareagainsthim.
Whenheisstrong,avoidhim.
Attackwhereheisunprepared.
Emergewherehedoesnotexpect.
Thesearethevictoriesofthemilitarylineage.Theycannotbetransmitted
inadvance.

OnVictory
Ingeneral,themethodofemployingthemilitary
Takingastatewholeissuperior.Destroyingitisinferiortothis.
Takingadivisionwholeissuperior.Destroyingitisinferiortothis.
Takingabattalionwholeissuperior.Destroyingitisinferiortothis.
Takingacompanywholeissuperior.Destroyingitisinferiortothis.
Takingasquadwholeissuperior.Destroyingitisinferiortothis.
Therefore, one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not skillful. Subduing the
othersmilitarywithoutbattleisskillful.
Thus the superior military cuts down strategy. Its inferior cuts down alliances. Its
inferiorcutsdownthemilitary.Theworstattackscities.

Knowingvictoryhasfiveaspects.
Knowingwhenonecanandcannotdobattleisvictory.
Discerningtheuseofthemanyandthefewisvictory.
Superiorandinferiordesiringthesameisvictory.
Usingpreparationtoawaittheunpreparedisvictory.
Thegeneralbeingcapableandtherulernotinterferingisvictory.
Thesefiveareaway(dao)ofknowingvictory.
Thusitissaid

Knowingtheotherandknowingoneself,
Inonehundredbattlesnodanger.
Notknowingtheotherandknowingoneself,

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Prim ar y S our ce Doc um ent , wit h Qu est io ns (D BQ) o n SE LE CTI ONS FR OM TH E SUN ZI ( AR T OF W AR)

Onevictoryforonedefeat.
Notknowingtheotherandnotknowingoneself,
Ineverybattlecertaindanger.

Inthepasttheskillfulfirstmadethemselvesinvincibletoawaittheenemysvincibility.
Invincibilityliesinoneself.Vincibilityliesintheenemy.
Thus the skilled can make themselves invincible. They cannot cause the enemys
vincibility.Thusitissaid,Victorycanbeknownbutcannotbemade.
Invincibilityisdefense.Vincibilityisattack.
Defendandonehasasurplus.Attackandoneisinsufficient.
One skilled at defense hides below the nine earths and moves above the nine heavens.
Thusonecanpreserveoneselfandbeallvictorious.

Inseeingvictory,notgoingbeyondwhateveryoneknowsisnotskilled.
VictoryinbattlethatallunderHeavencallsskilledisnotskilled.
Thus lifting the down of an autumn leaf does not make great strength. Seeing the sun
andthemoondoesnotmakeacleareye.Hearingthunderdoesnotmakeakeenear.
Whatismeantbyskilledistobevictoriousovertheeasilydefeated.Thusthebattlesof
the skilled are without extraordinary victory, without reputation for wisdom, and
withoutmeritforcourage.
Thus ones victories are without error. Being without error, what one arranges is
necessarilyvictorious,sinceoneisvictoriousoverthealreadydefeated.
One skilled at battle takes a stand in the ground of nodefeat and so does not lose the
enemysdefeat.
Therefore, the victorious military is first victorious and after that does battle. The
defeatedmilitaryfirstdoesbattleandafterthatseeksvictory.

Asia fo r E du cators | Colu mbia U niv ersit y | htt p:/ /af e. ea sia.colu mbia. e du

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