This chapter calculates war’s massive human and material losses. It refutes pro-war arguments with cases of Wu and Zhi Bo, showing conquest brings net loss, and urges rulers learn from historical failures to reject offensive wars.
This chapter denounces aggressive wars. By escalating crimes from petty theft to mass killing, Mozi exposes people’s moral hypocrisy: they condemn minor crimes yet glorify invasive warfare as righteous, lacking clear justice judgment.