Guiguzi

Author: Guiguzi (Author), Fangxiang Dong (Commentary)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: Guiguzi, surnamed Wang and named Xu, was a person from the Spring and Autumn period. He often went to the Yunmeng Mountain to gather herbs and practice Taoism. Because he lived in seclusion in Guiguxi by the Qingxi River, he called himself the Master of Guiguxi. Guiguzi is the ancestor of the Zongheng school, and Su Qin and Zhang Yi were his most outstanding two disciples [see The Warring States Strategy]. There are also claims that Sun Bin and Pang Juan were also his disciples [see The Sun and Pang Romance]. The success or failure of diplomatic tactics is related to the security, prosperity, and decline of a nation; while the appropriateness of strategies in business negotiations and competition is related to economic success or failure. Even in daily life, the skill of conversation is related to whether one behaves appropriately. Back then, Su Qin relied on his eloquence to unite the six states, receive the seals of the six states' prime ministers, and lead them to resist Qin together, achieving great fame. And Zhang Yi, relying on his strategy and persuasion skills, disintegrated the alliance of the six states, contributing to Qin's immortal achievements. The essence of The Art of War lies in "using wisdom where others cannot know and applying it where others cannot." To plot subtly in the invisible and often win without contention or cost—this is the essence of The Master of Guiguxi. The Art of War focuses on overall strategy, while The Master of Guiguxi specializes in specific techniques, and the two can be said to complement each other. The Master of Guiguxi consists of fourteen chapters, among which the 13th and 14th chapters have been lost.