Wòjī jīng 握奇經
The Classic of Grasping the Pivotal attributed to Fēnghòu 風后 (the catalog form 馬后, presumably for Mǎhòu, may be a transcription error); commentary attributed to 公孫宏 (Gōngsūn Hóng, 200–121 BCE, 漢, 解); zàn attributed to 馬隆述 (Mǎ Lóng, 晉, 讚); annotation and postface by 高似孫 (Gāo Sìsūn, 宋, 注跋)
About the work
A short military-strategy classic in one juan, traditionally attributed to Fēnghòu 風后 — the legendary minister of the Yellow Emperor — with later commentary attributed to Gōngsūn Hóng (Western Hàn) and zàn (eulogies) attributed to Mǎ Lóng (Western Jìn). The SKQS tíyào establishes that the work is post-Táng in form: Dúgū Jí 獨孤及 (Mid-Táng)‘s Bāzhèn tú jì 八陣圖記 corresponds line-by-line to the present Wòjī jīng, suggesting that the Wòjī jīng was elaborated from the Bāzhèn tú jì tradition. The Sòng shǐ yìwén zhì is the first extant catalog to record the work, confirming a late date. Substantively the work expounds the bā zhèn (eight-formation) tradition derived from Zhūgě Liàng’s military theory.
Tiyao
We respectfully submit that the Wòjī jīng — also written Wòjī jīng 握機經 or Wòjī jīng 幄機經 — is in old recension titled as composed by Fēnghòu, with commentary by Hàn-Chancellor Gōngsūn Hóng and zàn (eulogies) by Jìn Xīpíng tàishǒu Mǎ Lóngshù. Examining the Hàn shū yìwén zhì: under Bīngjiā yīnyáng it lists Fēnghòu in 13 篇, with Bān Gù’s own note: “tú èr juàn, yī tuō yě” (with two juan of charts, attributed-by-borrowed-name). There is no mention of Wòjī jīng. And the 13 篇 — which the Qī lüè recorded — Bān Gù already took as yītuō; this jīng and this jiě, not recorded by the Qī lüè — its forgery cannot wait for argument.
Mǎ Lóng’s zàn — also not recorded in the Suí zhì — likewise as the Gōngsūn Hóng commentary.
Examining the Táng Dúgū Jí’s Pǔlíng jí there is a Bāzhèn tú jì saying: “Yellow Emperor follows killing energy to make military methods; Wénchāng by command appoints the general; Fēnghòu wòjī zhì shèng (Fēnghòu grasping the pivotal to win) makes the zhèntú…” [the entire passage matches Wòjī jīng line-for-line]. Suspecting that since the Táng, hàoshì zhě (those fond of strange things) on the basis of Zhūgě Liàng’s bāzhèn fǎ extended into figures, attributed to Fēnghòu; later again on this jì extended to make this jīng, and took the jì’s wording wò jī zhì shèng as the title.
The Sòng shǐ yìwén zhì first records it — clear evidence of late emergence.
[Tíyào continues with title-variation discussion; abbreviated.]
Respectfully revised and submitted, [date].
General Compilers: Jǐ Yún 紀昀, Lù Xīxióng 陸錫熊, Sūn Shìyì 孫士毅.
Abstract
The Wòjī jīng is a clean case of a Sòng-period military-classic forgery, traceable through the SKQS editors’ philological work to a Mid-Táng predecessor (Bāzhèn tú jì) and ultimately to the Zhūgě Liàng bāzhèn fǎ tradition. Composition window: bracketed by the absence in pre-Sòng catalogs and the presence in Sòng shǐ yìwén zhì, suggesting Late-Táng / Five Dynasties / Northern Sòng emergence. The frontmatter brackets to ca. 950–1100. The catalog meta gives “漢” dynasty by author-attribution; the actual recension is post-Táng.
The substantive content — the bā zhèn (eight-formation) doctrine — is methodologically derived from Zhūgě Liàng’s military tradition, with Sòng-period elaboration. The jīng / jiě / zàn structure is itself a typical Sòng-period military-classic format.
The bibliographic record: not in Hàn yìwén zhì; not in Suí jīngjí zhì; Sòng shǐ yìwén zhì (first record); SKQS Zǐbù — Bīngjiā lèi.
Translations and research
- No substantial English-language secondary literature located on this specific work.
- For the bā-zhèn tradition: studies of Chinese military classical literature (Ralph Sawyer’s writings).
Links
- Dúgū Jí 獨孤及, Bāzhèn tú jì 八陣圖記 (the principal pre-text).
- Zhūgě Liàng, bāzhèn fǎ tradition (the ultimate source).
- Kyoto Zinbun, Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù tíyào
- Wikidata