Thirty-Six Stratagems: Text and Images

Author: Zhao Ji
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: This book is a military classic that classifies and explains war strategies in vivid and concise language. It possesses a certain academic value and strong practicality, applicable not only in the military field but also in non-military areas. Building upon the work of predecessors, this book further studies the principles of yin and yang from the I Ching and deduces the mutual transformation of opposing relationships in military tactics, such as hardness and softness, direct and indirect approaches, offense and defense, oneself and others, attacker and defender, and effort and rest. Each strategy reflects a strong dialectical philosophy. The book contains 36 strategies, citing the I Ching 27 times and involving 22 of the 64 hexagrams. This is precisely why the slim volume of the 36 Strategies embodies the mechanisms of all worldly variations and inspires boundless wisdom in military strategy. The book distills the essence of ancient Chinese military and strategic thought into 36 strategies, with names often in idiomatic expressions, vivid and easy to understand, making it widely popular. It does not focus on theoretical elaboration but transforms the essence of ancient military theory into practical strategies to defeat enemies. Each strategy has a clear purpose and practical value, making it a popular and accessible classic in ancient Chinese military literature.