One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies: Battle And Tactics Of Chinese Warfare by Chi Liu (PDF)

Description

One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies was compiled in the fifteenth century, during the Ming Dynasty, as a handbook of tactics based on Chinese military classics. Translated into English for the first time, this unique work draws on over two thousand years of experience in warfare to present a distillation of one hundred key strategic principles. Originally prepared as a text for students aspiring to high political positions in Confucian China, One Hundred Unorthodox Strategies is a compendium of Oriental strategies concisely stated and each individually illustrated with a description of battle from Chinese history. These historical examples shed new light on the often enigmatic formulations of the ancient strategists on subjects such as Strategic Power, Defense, Vacuity, Spirit, and Victory. Acclaimed translator and Chinese military specialist Ralph Sawyer adds his own thoughtful commentary, deepening the reader’s understanding of the intricacies of Chinese strategic thought.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Ralph D Sawyer

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐The unknown author of these hundred short chapters has left a different and worthwhile contribution to military history. Sawyer, the modern commentator, has made it even more relevant to the contemporary reader.Each chapter has three parts. The first is almost always a brief reference to Sun Tzu, Ssu-ma Fa, or some other classic of strategy and tactics. The second part reaches into China’s long written history to find historical examples of each precept.Although phrased as a commentary on older texts, the reader should remember the rigid social structure and respect for ancient wisdom common in the Ming dynasty (when this was written). New ideas were suspect, even irreverent to the extent that they challenged the classics. Instead, new ideas were concealed as commentaries on the established wisdom. One should not dismiss these commentaries as just a rehashing of texts that were a thousand years old even then.The third part of each chapter is Sawyer’s modern addition, sometimes longer than both traditional parts together. Sawyer uses these notes to explain historical content and to point out relevance to the modern world. The real value of Sawyer’s commentary, however, is its extensive citation of other Chinese military classics. He will often provide the whole passage to which a chapter alludes, as well as related passages from other texts. I found this very helpful, especially when Sawyer quoted classics that are little-known or inaccessible to English speakers.The indices are good, providing reference by topic, by proper names referenced, and by the eight classics references for which commentaty is provided. There was no bibliography, though, a real loss. I would very much like to read the Wu Tzu or other unfamiliar titles named, but I’ll have to hunt those down on my own.This shouldn’t be your first book on classical Chinese strategy, but it will be a welcome addition to any serious collection.//wiredweird

⭐The content of this book is great.The author is clearly an expert on the topic.The book is properly organized.However the way Mr. Sawyer wrote the historical illustrations and the commentary section of this book, it needs some work.I found 99.9% of historical illustrations very challenging to read or understand.I have a feeling Mr. Sawyer writes mostly for academics not for general public.

⭐A small book, packed with great wisdom. The key is surprise, both for yourself and others. Try to keep an open mind about some of the material.

⭐So so

⭐message to the UK surveillance team my cartel friends send their best regards to your children and grandchildren plan all the way to the end 🙂

⭐The book provides an interesting perspective into the many dimensions of strategy. It gives an introduction, a historical example, and discussion of each section. It is up to the flexibility and insight of the reader to make full use of the information provided.

⭐Very good edition of this great chinese strategic classic, which has little to envy to more famous classics like Sunzi’s Bingfa or the 36 Stratagems. Sawyer presents a complete and enjoyable translation of the original text, alongside a vast apparatus of explicatory notes about the many historical characters and facts quoted and a brief commentary of each of the 100 strategic sections of the text, often with useful comparisons from other strategic texts.The only flaw is that Sawyer continues to use the outdated Wade-Giles system of romanization of chinese characters, which can be a bit puzzling to those accustomed to read chinese names in the more familiar pinyin system. I had to use a table of conversion from Wade-Giles to pinyin, which however can be easily found on the web.

⭐This one has a good content. Worth reading.

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