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Zhongguo bingxue daxi 中國兵學大系

Jun 8, 2022 © Ulrich Theobald

Zhongguo bingxue daxi 中國兵學大系 is a series of collectanea (congshu 叢書) on warfare compiled by Li Yuri 李浴日 (1908-1955) and published in 1957. Li studied ancient books on war and published not just studies on the ancient work Sunzi bingfa, but also series of studies, like in 1943, when he co-edited with Lin Xunnan 林薰南 (1890-1982) the collection Bingxue luncong 兵學論叢.

The idea for the series came Li in 1945, and he decided to call his collection Zhongguo wuku 中國武庫. One aim was to provide readers with the most important military writings of ancient China, and add to these books superior commentaries. Moreover, the collection should be the gist of knowledge on defending the Chinese motherland. He first announced the compilation of the series in May 1946 in his journal Shijie bingxue 世界兵學, and the subsequent issues of this periodical. Li argued that even if the most important ancient texts were readily found in the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, others, more recently compiled texts, were not so easy accessible.

Li planned to divide his series into five parts, namely Principles of War (Zhanli 戰理), Military History (Zhanshi 戰史), Weapons and Implements (Bingqi 兵器), Astronomy (Tianwen 天文), and Topography (Dili 地理). The series was planned to include 60 titles, ranging from the Seven Military Classics of old (Wujing qishu 武經七書), classical texts of the Ming period 明 (1368-1644), and less well-known treatises. An additional volume was to include chapters on warfare and military matters found in basically non-specialized books of importance.

Publication was planned for late 1947. Li even projected a similar collection of translation of Western texts on military affairs, Xiyang wuku 西洋武庫. In 1949, Li fled to Taiwan, and decided to rename his project Zhongguo bingxue daxi. In the meantime he spent a lot of effort for a book on Chinese military thought, Zhongguo bingxue sixiang shi 中國兵學思想史, and the journal Zhandou 戰鬥. Li died unexpectedly in 1955 and was unable to finalize his project. His wife Lai Yaozhi 賴瑤芝 gathered the remains of his work, or what had survived civil war and flight, and was able to compile a series of 33 texts, yet without having at hand a preface written by her late husband. She therefore asked the heads of the Society for Global Military Studies (Shijie Bingxue She 世界兵學社) to write a collective preface to the series (Zhangguan xu 長官序), and added an afterword (ba 跋) by herself. This result was published in early 1957 by the Shijie Bingxue She Society in Taibei.

The series consists of 14 volumes.

Table 1. Texts planned for the series Zhongguo wuku 中國武庫, but not found in Zhongguo bingxue daxi 中國兵學大系
Wojijing Sunzi Wuzi Simafa Weiliaozi Liutao Sanlüe Sushu Yinfujing Xinshu Li Weigong wendui Taibaiyin jing Huqianjing 武經總要 Wujing zongyao 紀效新書 Jixiao xinshu 練兵實紀 Lianbing shiji 登壇必究 Dengtan bijiu 武備志 Wubeizhi Pingpi baijin fang Caolu jinglüe 揭子兵鏡 Jiezi bingjing 揭子陣談 Jiezi zhentan He Boshi beilun 兵鏡類編 Bingjing leibian 戊笈談兵 Wuji tanbing Baijiang tuzhuan 讀史兵略 Dushi binglüe 車陣扣答 Chezhen kouda 汪氏兵學 Wangshi bingxue (太公兵法逸文, 武侯八陣兵法, 李衛公兵法) 雲氣佔候Yunqi zhanhou 歷代名將戰略 Lidai mingjiang zhanlüe 左氏兵謀Zuoshi bingmou 兵法三十六計 Bingfa sanshiliu ji 讀史方輿紀要 Dushi fangyu jiyao Gujin nüjiang 聖武記 Shengwuji 彌兵古義 十六策 武編 武將記 軍籌綱目 決勝綱目 兵機類纂 廣名將譜 談兵髓 歷代戰車敘略 軍權 長子心鈴 蒞戎要略 古今名將 劍草 嶺南客對 武備新書 將鑑論斷 蘆芹十論 南北十論 兵經備考 太白兵備考統綜 乾坤大略
Table 2. The series Zhongguo bingxue daxi 中國兵學大系
(Taiwan) 李浴日 Li Yuri (comp.)
1957 edition
書名, length in juan Title Author(s)
第一冊(武經七書 Wujing qishu)
孫子 Sunzi (Zhou) 孫武 Sun Wu
吳子 Wuzi (Zhou) 吳起 Wu Qi
司馬法 Simafa (Zhou) 司馬穰苴 Sima Rangju
唐太宗李衛公問對 Tang taizong Li Weigong wendui (Tang) 李靖 Li Jing
尉繚子 Weiliaozi (Zhou) 尉繚 Wei Liao
黃石公三略 Huangshi Gong sanlüe (Han) 黃石公 Huangshi Gong
六韜 Liutao (Zhou) 姜尚 Jiang Shang
第二冊
孫子音注 Sunzi yinzhu (Ming) 何守法 He Shoufa (comm.)
第三冊
汪氏兵學三書 Wangshi bingxue sanshu (Qing) 汪宗沂 Wang Zongyi (comp.)
太公兵法逸文 Taigong bingfa yiwen (Zhou) 姜尚 Jiang Shang
武侯八陣兵法輯略 Wuhou bazhen bingfa jilüe (Sanguo-Shu) 諸葛亮 Zhuge Liang
李衛公兵法 Li Weigong bingfa (Tang) 李靖 Li Jing
第四冊
陰符經注 Yinfujing zhu (Han) 張良 Zhang Liang (comm.)
風后握奇經解 Feng Hou wojijing jie (Zhou) 風后 Hou Feng; (Han) 公孫宏 Gongsun Hong (comm.)
黃石公素書注 Huang Shigong sushu zhu (Han) 黄石公 Huangshi Gong; (Song) 張商英 Zhang Shangying (comm.)
心書 Xinshu (Sanguo-Shu) 諸葛亮 Zhuge Liang
何博士備論 He boshi beilun (Song) 何去非 He Qufei
第五冊
太白陰經 Taibaiyin jing (Tang) 李筌 Li Quan
第六冊
虎鈐經 Huqianjing (Song) 許洞 Xu Dong
第七冊
投筆膚談 Toubi futan (Ming) 西湖逸士 Xihu Yishi; 何守法 He Shoufa (comm.)
陣記 Zhenji (Ming) 何良臣 He Liangchen
百戰經 Baizhanjing (Ming) 王鳴鶴 Wang Minghe
兵經 Bingjing (Qing) 揭暄 Jie Xuan
第八冊
兵迹 Bingji (Qing) 魏禧 Wei Xi
第九冊
兵謀兵法 Bingmou bingfa (Qing) 魏禧 Wei Xi
乾坤大略 Qiankun dalüe (Qing) 王餘佑 Wang Yuyou
第十冊
草廬經略 Caolu jinglüe (Ming) NN
第十一冊
洴澼百金方 Pingpi baijin fang (Qing) 惠麓酒民 Huilu Jiumin
第十二冊
百將圖 Baijiangtu (Qing) 丁日昌 Ding Richang
古今女將傳贊 Gujin nüjiang zhuanzan (Qing) 朱孔彰 Zhu Kongzhang
第十三冊
孔孟治兵語錄 Kong-Meng zhibing yulu (Rep) 趙尺子 Zhao Chizi
岳飛治兵語錄 Yue Fei zhibing yulu (Rep) 劉詠堯 Liu Yongyao
戚繼光治兵語錄 Qi Jiguang zhibing yulu (Rep) 劉詠堯 Liu Yongyao
曾胡治兵語錄 Zeng-Hu zhibing yulu (Rep) 蔡鍔 Cai E
第十四冊
國父治兵語錄 Guofu zhibing yulu (Rep) 劉詠堯 Liu Yongyao
蔣總統治兵語錄 Jiang Zongtong zhibing yulu (Rep) 鄧文儀 Deng Wenyi
Source:
Lee Yu-Ri Memorial Foundation 李浴日紀念基金會. "Zhongguo bingxue daxi 中國兵學大系". (http://www.leeyuri.org/DaxiT.html)