The Complete Analysis of the 36 Stratagems (6 Volumes)

Author: Li Yu'an, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: "The 36 Stratagems" is a book that has been passed down for a long time and continuously organized by later generations. It can be said to be a book that embodies the wisdom of ancient people. The entire book is divided into six sets: Victory Stratagems, Enemy Stratagems, Attack Stratagems, Mixed Stratagems, Combined Stratagems, and Defeat Stratagems, with six stratagems in each set. The 36 Stratagems are basically named after well-known idioms, making them easy to remember and understand. They are also a highly influential set of stratagems, which has led to their widespread dissemination and profound impact in society. "The 36 Stratagems" appears in the form of military strategy and tactics. Although it does not encompass all the strange and cunning strategies of ancient military strategists, it does gather the main part of military stratagems, reflecting to some extent the general outline of military strategy and tactics. This book is titled "A Comprehensive Analysis of the 36 Stratagems," primarily using examples from ancient Chinese political struggles. First, in situations where political theory is often profound and difficult to understand, and government psychology is an unfamiliar topic for many people, these highly influential stratagems are used to illustrate the concepts. Second, in complex political struggles, political strategy and military strategy are closely related, especially since many of the 36 stratagems evolved from political struggles. Third, military struggles and political struggles are always intertwined, with many commonalities and mutual influence and fusion, as many characteristics are consistent. Fourth, the starting points for military and political strategies differ. Politics is a war without bloodshed, while war is politics with bloodshed. Strictly speaking, war is a means to achieve political goals and cannot be separated from politics. Fifth, military strategy emphasizes "deception and changeability," while political strategy emphasizes "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness." Although their underlying intentions differ, in practice, they are intertwined—each containing elements of the other. Using deception to achieve the right path, different means lead to the same goal.