Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi Bingfa
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SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS Number 178 February, 2008 Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi bingfa by Victor H. Mair with a complete transcription and word-for-word glosses of the Manchu translation by H. T. Toh Victor H. Mair, Editor Sino-Platonic Papers Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305 USA [email protected] www.sino-platonic.org SINO-PLATONIC PAPERS is an occasional series edited by Victor H. Mair. The purpose of the series is to make available to specialists and the interested public the results of research that, because of its unconventional or controversial nature, might otherwise go unpublished. The editor actively encourages younger, not yet well established, scholars and independent authors to submit manuscripts for consideration. Contributions in any of the major scholarly languages of the world, including Romanized Modern Standard Mandarin (MSM) and Japanese, are acceptable. 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N.B.: Beginning with issue no. 171, Sino-Platonic Papers has been published electronically on the Web. Issues from no. 1 to no. 170, however, will continue to be sold as paper copies until our stock runs out, after which they too will be made available on the Web at www.sino-platonic.org. _______________________________________________ Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi bingfa Victor H. Mair University of Pennsylvania with a complete transcription and word-for-word glosses of the Manchu translation by H. T. Toh Academia Sinica & Cambridge University Victor H. Mair, “Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi bingfa” Sino-Platonic Papers, 178 (February, 2008) For Arthur Waldron and June Teufel Dreyer from whom I have learned so much about China’s potential to make war ii Victor H. Mair, “Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi bingfa” Sino-Platonic Papers, 178 (February, 2008) Contents Preface vi Principles of Translation vii Guide to Pronunciation x Key Terms xii Abbreviations xvi Discussion The Book and Its Title 1 Authorship 7 Historical Background 19 Dating 23 Stylistics and Statistics 26 Techniques and Technology 31 Taoistic Aspects 35 Eurasian Parallels 37 On the World Stage 42 Notes 47 Appendix I: The Pseudo-Biography of Sun Wu 68 Appendix II: Further Notes on Selected Key Terms 74 Appendix III: Transcription of the Manchu Translation of the Sun Zi 82 with Word-for-Word English Glosses by Hoong Teik Toh Appendix IV: Transcription of the Manchu Translation of the Sun Zi 160 by Hoong Teik Toh Bibliography 177 iii Victor H. Mair, “Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi bingfa” Sino-Platonic Papers, 178 (February, 2008) A good warrior is not bellicose, A good fighter does not anger. — Tao Te Ching / Dao de jing, 68 The Way of heaven does not war yet is good at conquering. — Tao Te Ching / Dao de jing, 73 Now, Weapons are instruments of evil omen; Creation abhors them. Therefore, One who aspires to the Way does not abide in them. The superior man at home honors the left, on the battlefield honors the right. Therefore, Weapons are not instruments of the superior man; Weapons are instruments of evil omen, to be used only when there is no other choice. He places placidity above all And refuses to prettify weapons; If one prettifies weapons, This is to delight in the killing of others. iv Victor H. Mair, “Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi bingfa” Sino-Platonic Papers, 178 (February, 2008) Now, One who delights in the killing of others Cannot exercise his will over all under heaven. For this reason, On occasions for celebration, the left is given priority; On occasions for mourning, the right is given priority. Therefore, A deputy general stands on the left, The general-in-chief stands on the right. In other words, They stand in accordance with mourning ritual. The killing of masses of human beings, we bewail with sorrow and grief; Victory in battle, we commemorate with mourning ritual. — Tao Te Ching / Dao de jing, 31 Sun Wu… was a wise general of a former age. He is remote and recondite, and it is difficult to know anything about him. —Falsely attributed to Liu Xiang (79–8 BC), Xin xu (Newly Compiled Stories) and quoted in Taiping yulan (Imperial Survey of the Great Peace [Reign Period]; completed 984 AD), s. 276. v Victor H. Mair, “Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi bingfa” Sino-Platonic Papers, 178 (February, 2008) Preface This is a companion to Victor H. Mair, tr., annot., and intro., The Art of War: Sun Zi’s Military Methods (New York: Columbia University Press, 2007). Although it repeats much of the material in the published translation, the present monograph differs significantly in the following respects: it expands significantly on various aspects of the discussion on the text and its author, particularly in the philological and linguistic analysis of key terms; it is somewhat bolder in the positions taken with regard to controversial matters; it includes a transcription and word-for-word gloss of the Manchu translation of the text; and it omits the translation and annotations of the original text, for which the reader is invited to consult the volume published by Columbia University Press (2007), where the following chapters will be found in their entirety: Chapter 1: (Initial) Assessments Chapter 2: Doing Battle Chapter 3: Planning for the Attack Chapter 4: Positioning Chapter 5: Configuration Chapter 6: Emptiness and Solidity Chapter 7: The Struggle of Armies Chapter 8: Nine Varieties Chapter 9: Marching the Army Chapter 10: Ground Forms Chapter 11: Nine Types of Ground Chapter 12: Incendiary Attack Chapter 13: Using Spies It is hoped that the present monograph will be of assistance both to serious researchers on the Sun Zi and to the interested layman. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania February 15, 2008 vi Victor H. Mair, “Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi bingfa” Sino-Platonic Papers, 178 (February, 2008) Principles of Translation The Sun Zi (SZ) is written in a style that is often highly abbreviated and elliptical. Both the subject and the object, as well as other parts of the sentence, may be omitted, and even whole clauses may be dispensed with. One may think of this style as telegraphic (or, in current terms, written as though for purposes of short text messaging [STM]), at times carried to an extreme, making the text extraordinarily terse and maddeningly obscure. Since all of these missing elements are essential in normal English both for grammatical reasons and for the reader to gain a full understanding of the purport of the Chinese text, I have silently added a word or two here and there. Occasionally, however, when I have provided intratextual amplification or clarification that exceeds more than two or three words, I generally signal these longer or more substantial additions in a note. I. Being overly literal does not necessarily ensure accuracy. A frequently recurring expression in the SZ is yong bing. Literally, in the narrowest, most primitive sense, it signifies “use weapon(s).” However, it never means that in the SZ. Instead, it conveys the idea of “employ soldiers,” “conduct military operations,” “engage in warfare,” or “wage war” (I consistently render yong bing with the last English equivalent). II. Do not be too free. This is the opposite of the previous principle. One of the most important terms for nearly all schools of early Chinese thought is dao (“way”; Mair 1990: 132–133). For obviously ulterior purposes, some modern interpreters render dao as “God,” distorting the term so horrendously as to make it impossible to understand the ideas presented in the original texts where it occurs. vii Victor H. Mair, “Soldierly Methods: Vade Mecum for an Iconoclastic Translation of Sun Zi bingfa” Sino-Platonic Papers, 178 (February, 2008) III.