战国策

by Liu Xiang, 刘向

This book is the most complete ancient book about the political battles during the Warring States Period. In fact, it is a collection of speeches given by political strategists (scheming persons). The changeable situations, opposite theories of vertical and horizontal alliance of states with the state of Qin as pivot, lasting wars and changing political powers are all about these political strategists strategies and speeches, so this book has great historical value. This book has beautiful dictions, vivid language, convincing arguments and strategy wisdoms. The descriptions about figures in this book are alive and vivid. Fables are often used to illustrate certain principles, and the famous fables include to paint a snake with feet, to lock the sheepfold door after the sheep is stolen, a sly rabbit will have three openings to its den, the tiger and the fox and to go south by driving the chariot north... This book, also famous for its writing style, also occupies an important position in Chinas classical literary history.

Genres: China, History, Nonfiction

343 pages, Hardcover

First published June 22, 2014

Reviews

[Kenneth Meyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

One more half-star for the footnotes on the many personalities in this new version of the translation, which believe me, we need. So 2.5 stars.
This translation was shopped around earlier in a much more problematic version. I was reading portions of the translation on-line in comparison with the Chinese text (for the Chinese, I was using the Zhiyang Chuban She edition, Taiwan, 2003). Be it noted, I have only gotten through about 20% of the Chinese text. I agree with Warren, there are problems with this English version, but this 2024 version is much improved.
In the case of this work, as often happens with non-English classics, we have to separate the edition and particular scholarship/commentary (if any) from the original work. As far as the Strategies of the Warring States (compiled during the Han dynasty, but covering stories from the period 490-221 BCE) goes, this is a fundamental classic in Chinese literature, relating anecdotes of statecraft and adventures of for the most part real figures (as far as we know) in the periods before the unification of China under Chin Shihuang (221 BCE). These anecdotes are fascinating, shed light on the prevalence of various schools of thought in the Warring States period (Confucian, etc.), and many of the stories are retold even now in China in various fora.
To this day, we really don't have a "go to" translation of the ZGC in English, and this edition doesn't quite get us there either. Having said that, this subject matter is difficult (even reading it in English). And let me add, in reading these anecdotes--whether in Chinese or English--you need a map handy showing which states were where.
Students of Chinese classics will be grateful to have even this version. If Warren and others point out particular flaws and errors, such notes help us all going forward.
Enjoy--with a map.

[Warren Tutwiler]

Not a perfect translation, with some place-names and "common" phrases un-translated, one entire "chapter" un-translated (but Google Translate was sufficient for this), and some repeated-character errors (apparently from machine translation software glitches). In addition, some of the phrases are awkward, but accurate, such as "long wife" and "short wife" to indicate the length of time those women were married to the man. But, despite this, it is a complete translation of an otherwise hard-to-find text, and for this I am grateful.

In case you are not familiar with it, these are a series of (unrelated) anecdotes about how philosophical ministers would travel from state to state to manipulate the lords with wisdom. It is fascinating reading.