Jì xiào xīn shū 紀效新書
New Book of Effective Discipline by 戚繼光 (Qī Jìguāng, 1528–1587, 明)
About the work
An 18-juan Late-Míng military training manual by Qī Jìguāng, the foundational text of his qì jiā jūn training reform, composed during his ZhèMǐn coastal-defence command (1559–1567). The work covers troop selection, training, weapons (including detailed firearms instructions), drill, formations, and discipline — all based on Qī’s specific wōkòu combat experience. The work has been one of the most institutionally consequential pre-modern Chinese military works, with continuing reception across late-imperial Chinese, Korean, and Japanese (Tokugawa Edo) military thought.
Abstract
The Jì xiào xīn shū is the foundational Late-Míng military training manual and one of the most influential pre-modern Chinese military works. Composition: bracketed by Qī’s ZhèMǐn coastal-defence period (1559–1567). The frontmatter brackets to 1560–1567.
The bibliographic record: Míng shǐ yìwén zhì; SKQS Zǐbù — Bīngjiā lèi. Substantial Korean and Japanese reception.
Translations and research
- Joseph S. C. Lam and others on Qī Jì-guāng — context.
- Kenneth M. Swope, A Dragon’s Head and a Serpent’s Tail: Ming China and the First Great East Asian War, 1592–1598 (2009) — context for Qī’s military reforms.
Links
- Liàn bīng shí jì (KR3b0020) — the companion northern-frontier work by Qī.
- Kyoto Zinbun, Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù tíyào
- Wikipedia
- Wikidata