Wisdom of Guiguzi: The Treasure Trove of Strategic Wisdom, A Practical Guide to Winning at a Thousand Li

Author: Wang Shouzhu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-08-24
Features: The book Guiguzi is a treatise on negotiation and persuasion by Guiguzi, the ancestor of the strategists (Zonghengjia) in the Warring States period of China. Guiguzi was a real figure, whose given name was Wang Xian (with varying legends about his identity), who once resided in Guiguzi (the location is uncertain, with different theories, now generally believed to be Dengfeng, Henan). He wrote books, taught, and mentored students, serving as the teacher of the strategist Su Tai and Zhang Yi. It is also said that he was the teacher of Sun Bin, Lu Juan, and Wei Liao, all renowned military strategists. Legends claim that Guiguzi was divinely appointed and received his knowledge from immortals, adding a mystical aura to his persona. Stripping away the mystique of Guiguzi, the book presents profound and enigmatic arguments, written in archaic and mysterious prose, representing the theories, strategies, and methods of the persuaders of the Warring States period. It is a compilation of the practical experiences of the strategists, a crystallization of Chinese wisdom, and has long been hailed as the "forbidden fruit of wisdom" and a "matchless classic." During the era when Confucianism was the orthodox ideology, books like Guiguzi were often dismissed and looked down upon. However, with the academic debate of the Hundred Schools of Thought, Guiguzi has now attracted scholarly interest. Primarily, the book focuses on negotiation and persuasion, but due to its extensive coverage of strategic issues, which are closely related to military matters, it is also considered 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 strategists, as the weak, use intelligence and eloquence to persuade and ultimately control the powerful rulers of 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 intelligence for the weak. Therefore, it can be said that the wisdom of Guiguzi is akin to a "military strategy for governing people." The content of Guiguzi shares the same profound meaning as the famous military text Sunzi Bingfa, which states, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles; know the heaven and know the earth, and you will never be exhausted in victory." Adhering to the principle of "making the past serve the present," studying Guiguzi today holds significant practical value. To this end, we have translated and annotated Guiguzi, writing the book The Wisdom of Guiguzi.