Lǐ Wèigōng wèn duì 李衞公問對
Inquiries-and-Replies of Duke Wèi (= Lǐ Jìng) attributed to 李靖 (Lǐ Jìng, 571–649, 唐)
About the work
A three-juan classical military dialogue, framed as the question-and-answer exchange between Tang Tàizōng and his general Lǐ Jìng on military strategy. Within the Wǔ jīng qī shū (1080) this is the seventh and last canonical military classic. The work is universally recognised as a post-Táng compilation pseudepigraphically attributed to Lǐ Jìng — most likely a Late-Táng / Five Dynasties or early-Sòng production. The work nevertheless preserves authentic late-Táng military doctrinal material via its drawing on Lǐ Jìng’s lost Xīn shū 新書 (military manual) and other sources.
Abstract
The Lǐ Wèigōng wèn duì is the seventh Wǔ jīng qī shū canonical military classic. Composition window: post-Táng (no Táng catalog records the work) through pre-Sòng-canonisation (1080). The frontmatter brackets to ca. 950–1080.
The substantive content uses the Tàizōng / Lǐ Jìng dialogue form to expound classical military strategy, drawing extensively on the earlier military classics. The work’s pseudepigraphic status was established by post-Sòng critical bibliography but has no impact on its canonical military-classical role.
The bibliographic record: Sòng shǐ yìwén zhì; Wǔ jīng qī shū canonisation (1080); SKQS Zǐbù — Bīngjiā lèi.
Translations and research
- Ralph D. Sawyer, The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China (1993) — translation.
Links
- Sūnzǐ shíjiā jízhù (KR3a0015) — the jízhù tradition includes references to Cáo Cāo’s lost Xīn shū preserved partly via this work.
- Kyoto Zinbun, Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù tíyào
- Wikipedia
- Wikidata