The Wisdom of Guiguzi

Author: Wang Shouzhu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The book Guiguzi is a treatise by Guiguzi, the pioneer of the school during the Warring States period, on the subject of negotiation and persuasion. Guiguzi was indeed a real person, whose given name was Wang Xian (with varying legends), who once resided in Guiguzi (in present-day Dengfeng, Henan, with differing accounts). He wrote books, taught, and mentored students, serving as the teacher of Su Qin and Zhang Yi, the masters of the school. It is also said that he was the teacher of Sun Bin, Lu Juan, and Wei Liao, all renowned strategists. Legends claim that Guiguzi was chosen by heaven and received his knowledge from immortals, giving him a highly mystical aura. Stripping away the mysticism of Guiguzi, the book presents profound and enigmatic arguments, with ancient and mysterious writing, representing the theories, strategies, and methods of the persuaders of the Warring States period. It is a summary of the experience of the school and a crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese nation, often hailed as the "forbidden fruit of wisdom" and the "extraordinary book of the ages." During the era when Confucianism was the orthodox ideology, books like Guiguzi were marginalized and looked down upon. However, with the academic debate of the Hundred Schools of Thought, Guiguzi has now attracted interest for study. From its main content, Guiguzi is primarily aimed at negotiation and persuasion, but due to its extensive coverage of strategies that are closely related to military issues, it is also referred to as a military text. Guiguzi observes the world with a detached and pragmatic lens, believing that any means deemed reasonable can be employed to achieve one's goals. It describes how the powerless persuaders, as the weak, use wisdom and eloquence to engage in persuasion and ultimately control the powerful rulers of feudal states who hold political, economic, military authority, and even the power of life and death. In essence, Guiguzi is a book of wisdom that studies the strategies and arts of political and social struggles, serving as a treasury of wisdom for the weak. Therefore, it can be said that the wisdom of Guiguzi is also a "military strategy for governing people." The content of Guiguzi shares the same meaning as the famous military text Sunzi Bingfa when it states, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be in danger; know the heaven and know the earth, and you will never be exhausted." In line with the principle of "using the past to serve the present," studying it today holds great practical significance. For this reason, we have translated and annotated Guiguzi, writing the book The Wisdom of Guiguzi.