Military Thought in Early China

Christopher C. Rand is an independent scholar who received his PhD in Chinese history from Harvard University. He is the cotranslator (with Joseph S. M. Lau) of Ts'ao Yü's The Wilderness.

• PrefacePrologue1. The Emergence of the Wen/Wu ProblemThe Achievement of BalanceThe Western Zhou SolutionEvolution in Chunqiu TimesNew Solutions in the Zhanguo EraMilitarism Compartmentalism Syncretism Conclusion2. The Metaphysics of GeneralshipThe General as SagePsychical PowerMetaphysical DynamicsThe Ultimate BattleConclusion3. The Practical and Meta-PracticalOrganizational ModelsTraining and AdministrationMilitary LawWar PreparednessIntelligence MeasuresCollection and Analysis Deception and Covert Action Views of Military Thinkers Conclusion4. The Moral Dimension of WarLaoziKongziYanziMengziXunziMoziSongziMilitary ThinkersConclusion5. The Permutations of Western HanRealignment of SolutionsWen/wu and Foreign PolicyA Double ParadoxEffects of Social and Institutional ChangesConclusionEpilogueNotesBibliographyIndex

"Rand's study is wide-ranging, deeply researched, systematic, and clear. It will no doubt encourage further work on military texts as contributions to intellectual history." — Journal of Chinese Military History"Initially written as a PhD dissertation in 1977, after a 40-year career in government Christopher Rand revised his original work to incorporate new insights from research and discoveries during the intervening years. The result is impressive … This book is a very welcome addition to the study of early Chinese military thought and Rand's perspective will provide even established scholars with a fresh perspective on the topic." — China Review International"With its close engagement with and nuanced interpretation of a truly impressive range of sources, this book illuminates a field that gets too little serious attention." — Charles Sanft, author of Communication and Cooperation in Early Imperial China: Publicizing the Qin Dynasty