-
Art of War – Chapter 1.2
Sun Tzu puts forward five key elements to assess warfare: morality, heaven, earth, commandership and discipline. Leaders should compare both sides’ strengths based on these factors to fully analyze the real situation before battles.
-
Art of War – Chapter 1.1
This excerpt from The Art of War features Sun Tzu’s core viewpoint. He stresses war is crucial to a state, concerning people’s lives and national survival. Thus, leaders must deliberate thoroughly before waging any war.
-
Zhì Zǐ Yí Lín (智子疑邻)
Basic Info Chinese Idiom: 智子疑邻Pinyin: zhì zǐ yí línLiteral Meaning: Think one’s own son is clever yet suspect the innocent neighbor.Figurative Meaning: Judge things with personal bias instead of objective facts; favor family while unfairly suspecting outsiders facing identical clues.
-
Han Feizi – Chapter 23.37
Han Feizi shares a classic Zheng tale: both the homeowner’s son and a neighbor warned of theft from a crumbling wall. After being robbed, the man admired his son’s wisdom yet wrongly accused the helpful neighbor out of prejudice.
-
Han Feizi – Chapter 23.35
Han Feizi tells how a Chu guard bribed Jin’s Shu Xiang to rescue the king’s brother held in Qin. By threatening to build Huqiu’s ramparts, Jin pressured Qin into releasing the prince, winning generous gold from grateful Chu.