Knowledge (XXG)

The Methods of the Sima

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544:(r.685-643 BC), successfully guiding Duke Huan in his efforts to become a regional hegemon (霸). A century later, Duke Jing of Qi (r.547-490) reportedly used the work in his successful effort to retake land previously lost to Qin, and to subjugate several other feudal lords. According to this theory, the texts used by these rulers were all gathered and compiled during the reign of King Wei of Qi, and the resulting book came to be known as the 453:
rewards must be appropriate and consistent in order to be most effective. Punishment must also be carefully considered. When the military experiences failure, the commander must encourage everyone to accept responsibility, including himself. If he singles out an officer, the troops could infer that the officer alone was responsible and avoid improvement.
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stresses that the only justification for warfare is the assistance of the common people. Because warfare must benefit the people of all states involved in a conflict in order to be legitimate, nations must avoid engagements that injure the people of enemy states, and actions which might antagonize a
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The book's contributors significantly elaborate on the nature of military discipline. Rewards and punishments are necessary in shaping the actions of the military. Because a worthy person could become self-important and disrupt the integrity of the military if reward is excessive or unpredictable,
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stress that the Virtue (德) of the people will decline both when civilians act in ways that are appropriate for soldiers, and when soldiers act in ways that are appropriate for civilians. The King must conduct himself differently in these two spheres and expect different things from his citizens. In
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The text states that an army which is perfectly unified has the greatest chance of success. This requires the Emperor and his representatives to enforce strict discipline. Laws must be clear and consistent and enforced with total impartiality. There must also be active concern for disruption and
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stress that appropriate civil and military roles must be distinguished because of their contradictory values. Civilian culture is judged to be severe, remote, and languid, placing value in courtesy and benevolence, while military culture is judged to be severe, stern, and active, placing value in
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encourages commanders to engage in ceremonial, accusatory formalities before beginning a campaign, and makes it a vital necessity that the army's soldiers understand the virtuous nature of their mission. These policies promote the utilitarian goals of strengthening morale and weakening enemy
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promotes the view that warfare is necessary to the existence of the state, that it provides the principal means for punishing evil and rescuing the oppressed, and that its conscientious exploitation is the foundation for political power. It states that a balance between war and peace must be
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rarely discusses direct issues related to battlefield command, instead concerning itself with how to initiate, administer, and manage military campaigns. The limited discussions of strategy and tactics which do appear in the work are broad, general, and common to the other
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sedition. Commanders must be aware of rumors and doubts and address them promptly. They must also be capable of leading by example. Weapons and tactics must be studied with extreme thoroughness. Enemy weapons may be copied if they are superior.
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maintained for the prosperity of the state: that those states which neglect their armies will perish just as quickly as those states which resort to warfare too frequently. The book promotes the view that war is an unfortunate necessity for peace.
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was enfeoffed as the Duke of Qi shortly before his death, other scholars believe that the tradition of Jiang Ziya's writings may have contributed to the book's compilation. Because the origins of the book are enigmatic, the authorship of
524:(r.356-320 BC) compiled all of the most famous military writings then extant in Qi, of which the writings of Sima Rangju were a major component. According to Sima Qian, the resulting book was the 1135: 237: 321: 1153: 837: 345:) is a text discussing laws, regulations, government policies, military organization, military administration, discipline, basic values, tactics, and 390:
largely because it discusses methods of organization, administration, and discipline much more deeply than strategy or battlefield tactics.
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was a relative of Sima Rangju, and because Sun Bin served Qi as a military advisor in the fourth century BC, around the time that the
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subject populace are severely prohibited. Because it identifies the only justification for warfare as eradicating a government evil,
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seem to be remnants of a larger, more extensive work. The book has been faithfully transmitted since at least the time of the
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was compiled from other pre-existent military writings, the origin of its component texts cannot be known with certainty.
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There are other historical writers associated with Chinese military classics whose writings may have contributed to the
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scholars (in particular) to attack the book as spurious. Modern scholars generally support the text's authenticity.
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and modern historians suggest that it was likely compiled from various extant military treatises present in the
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Presently, because only five of the 155 chapters reported in the Han dynasty exist, all editions of
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civil life, he must cultivate the people through education and the promotion of regional culture.
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Another view, promoted by modern scholars such as Liu Yin, was that the core material present in
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was compiled, some scholars theorize that the writings of Sun Bin may have contributed to the
111: 103: 1185: 846: 82: 541: 1093: 1041: 1006: 889: 868: 815: 604: 521: 479: 346: 271: 195: 127: 120: 1238: 1013: 985: 971: 923: 285: 399:. The text emphasizes ritual differentiation between the civil and military realms ( 1222: 1208: 850: 498: 494: 89: 700: 1171: 619: 599: 517: 512: 475: 379: 278: 143: 39: 1114: 614: 572: 400: 358: 223: 999: 594: 471: 292: 1020: 882: 992: 930: 609: 556: 42: 403:), and marks complementarity of the two (e.g. 天子之義 chapter, 文與武左右也). 387: 354: 132: 1121: 1027: 386:
was classified as a work describing rites and propriety (禮), by
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Questions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li Weigong
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New York: Basic Books. 2007. p. 117–118. 644:. New York: Basic Books. 2007. p. 115–116. 478:in the fourth century BC, in the mid-late 466:There is no consensus on who composed the 322: 308: 174: 73: 1154:The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art 659:. New York: Basic Books. 2007. p. 116–117 423:order and discipline. The writers of the 795:Sawyer, Ralph D.; Sawyer (5 May 1993). 631: 177: 776:. New York: Basic Books. 2007. p. 111. 761:. New York: Basic Books. 2007. p. 112. 731:. New York: Basic Books. 2007. p. 115. 361:during the 4th century BC, in the mid- 110: 17: 349:. It is considered to be one of the 7: 705:. Westview Press. pp. 111–112. 580:cannot be either proven or refuted. 357:. It was developed in the state of 571:with the state of Qi, and because 14: 1129:Three Strategies of Huang Shigong 790:Full text of the Simafa (Chinese) 231:Three Strategies of Huang Shigong 1216:The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars 567:. Because all sources identify 540:was created during the reign of 156: 133: 1179:Biographies of Exemplary Women 109: 95: 57: 38: 1: 444:The Importance of Discipline 1209:School Sayings of Confucius 1276: 1074:Thousand Character Classic 169: 72: 27: 979:Etiquette and Ceremonial 938:Spring and Autumn Annals 407:The Justification of War 342:The Marshal's Art of War 33:Traditional Chinese 1245:Seven Military Classics 1101:The Methods of the Sima 1085:Seven Military Classics 1067:Hundred Family Surnames 1060:Three Character Classic 1035:Classic of Filial Piety 590:Seven Military Classics 578:the Methods of the Sima 569:the Methods of the Sima 538:the Methods of the Sima 491:the Methods of the Sima 484:the Methods of the Sima 432:The Methods of the Sima 420:the Methods of the Sima 412:The Methods of the Sima 397:Seven Military Classics 392:The Methods of the Sima 384:The Methods of the Sima 351:Seven Military Classics 336:The Methods of the Sima 210:The Methods of the Sima 188:Seven Military Classics 52:Simplified Chinese 22:The Methods of the Sima 1007:Commentary of Gongyang 179:Chinese military texts 1014:Commentary of Guliang 555:. Because the writer 363:Warring States period 265:Thirty-Six Stratagems 238:Questions and Replies 1260:4th-century BC books 1193:Four Books for Women 1108:Six Secret Teachings 876:Doctrine of the Mean 418:The contributors to 258:Sun Bin's Art of War 217:Six Secret Teachings 565:Methods of the Sima 561:Methods of the Sima 553:Methods of the Sima 546:Methods of the Sima 526:Methods of the Sima 468:Methods of the Sima 1255:Zhou dynasty texts 1232: 1231: 1200:Lessons for Women 1000:Commentary of Zuo 965:Book of Documents 958:Classic of Poetry 949:Thirteen Classics 917:Book of Documents 910:Classic of Poetry 332: 331: 173: 172: 165: 164: 83:Standard Mandarin 1267: 1186:Classic of Music 847:Chinese classics 840: 833: 826: 817: 812: 777: 772: 771:Sawyer, Ralph D. 768: 762: 757: 756:Sawyer, Ralph D. 753: 747: 742: 741:Sawyer, Ralph D. 738: 732: 727: 726:Sawyer, Ralph D. 723: 717: 716: 696: 690: 685: 684:Sawyer, Ralph D. 681: 675: 670: 669:Sawyer, Ralph D. 666: 660: 655: 654:Sawyer, Ralph D. 651: 645: 640: 639:Sawyer, Ralph D. 636: 532:Other Qi Writers 324: 317: 310: 175: 161: 160: 159: 138: 137: 136: 115: 114: 113: 98: 97: 74: 68:Rule of the Sima 60: 59: 46: 45: 18: 1275: 1274: 1270: 1269: 1268: 1266: 1265: 1264: 1235: 1234: 1233: 1228: 1159: 1141: 1079: 1047: 943: 895: 854: 844: 809: 794: 786: 781: 780: 770: 769: 765: 755: 754: 750: 740: 739: 735: 725: 724: 720: 713: 698: 697: 693: 683: 682: 678: 668: 667: 663: 653: 652: 648: 638: 637: 633: 628: 586: 542:Duke Huan of Qi 534: 511:The Methods of 507: 464: 459: 446: 409: 376: 371: 369:Content summary 339:(also known as 328: 299: 298: 252: 244: 243: 190: 158:/*slɯmraːʔpqab/ 65:Literal meaning 12: 11: 5: 1273: 1271: 1263: 1262: 1257: 1252: 1247: 1237: 1236: 1230: 1229: 1227: 1226: 1219: 1212: 1205: 1204: 1203: 1189: 1182: 1175: 1167: 1165: 1161: 1160: 1158: 1157: 1149: 1147: 1143: 1142: 1140: 1139: 1132: 1125: 1118: 1111: 1104: 1097: 1094:The Art of War 1089: 1087: 1081: 1080: 1078: 1077: 1070: 1063: 1055: 1053: 1049: 1048: 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If 476:state of Qi 437:the Methods 380:Han dynasty 353:of ancient 279:Huolongjing 251:Other texts 144:Old Chinese 1250:Qi (state) 1239:Categories 1115:Wei Liaozi 860:Four Books 626:References 615:Jiang Ziya 573:Jiang Ziya 457:Authorship 401:wen and wu 224:Wei Liaozi 151:Zhengzhang 851:Confucian 595:Sima Qian 472:Sima Qian 293:Wubei Zhi 1021:Analects 883:Analects 584:See also 470:. Both 347:strategy 1042:Mencius 993:I Ching 931:I Ching 890:Mencius 610:Sun Bin 557:Sun Bin 425:Methods 96:Sīmǎ Fǎ 1164:Others 805:  709:  388:Ban Gu 1223:Xunzi 1122:Wu Zi 853:texts 355:China 1028:Erya 849:and 803:ISBN 707:ISBN 203:Wuzi 104:IPA 58:司马法 1241:: 801:. 548:. 528:. 382:, 365:. 359:Qi 40:司馬 839:e 832:t 825:v 811:. 715:. 323:e 316:t 309:v 43:法

Index

Traditional Chinese
司馬

Simplified Chinese
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
IPA

Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
Old Chinese
Zhengzhang
Chinese military texts
Seven Military Classics
The Art of War
Wuzi
The Methods of the Sima
Six Secret Teachings
Wei Liaozi
Three Strategies of Huang Shigong
Questions and Replies
Sun Bin's Art of War
Thirty-Six Stratagems
Wujing Zongyao
Huolongjing
Jixiao Xinshu
Wubei Zhi
v
t
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