ChinaKnowledge.de -
An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History and Literature

Jiangyuan 將苑

Nov 19, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald

Jiangyuan 將苑 "The general's park" is a military treatise allegedly written by the Three Empires-period 三國 (220-280) politician and strategist Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮 (181-234). The book is also called Xinshu 新書 "New book" or Xinshu 心書 "Book of the mind". The oldest book catalogues nevertheless show that the book did not exist before the Song period 宋 (960-1279), as it is first mentioned in the bibliography Suichutang shumu 遂初堂書目 from the Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279). It is also listed in Jiao Hong's 焦竑 (1540-1620) bibliography Guoshi jingji zhi 國史經籍志 from the Ming period 明 (1368-1644).

It seems that the original title of the book was Xinshu, as for example, in the version that is included in the Yuan-period 元 (1279-1368) series Shuofu 說郛, and was only given the title "Book of the mind" during the Ming period. In his critical research Gujin weishu kao 古今偽書考, Yao Jiheng 姚際恒 (1647-1715) stressed that the attribution to Zhuge Liang is certainly wrong.

The Xinshu is divided into 46 chapters, but the Siku quanshu tiyao 四庫全書總目提要 speaks of 50 chapters, probably because the transmitted version included other writings of Zhuge Liang, like the two memorials Chushibiao 出師表 and the Kuizhentu 夔陣圖.

The person of the general is the center of the Jiangyuan. The commander is the crucial point in winning or losing a war, and thus he must sacrifice his life for the state. A general must be able to select capable officers and to apply his own power in the right situations. As he brings victory on the battlefield, he is successful within his own army. Loyalty and a high moral integrity are indispensable predicates of a commander. The general must be able to unify civilian morality and martial spirit, with the first prevailing over the latter. His strengths are a thorough knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the own army as well as that of the enemy. A military leader must known how and when to advance or to retreat, and he knows how to disguise the strong units of the army as weak ones. He must not simply trust in the own strengths, nor in the efficiency of the own army; he must not believe that a weak enemy is harmless, nor do his personal capabilities make him too confident. He gives a personal example for all troops, and shares with his men the hardship of war. In the army commands and rules have to be strictly observed, and rewards and punishments have to be clarified and just. Exercise is very important, as is the training of strictly obeying commands. Before going out to the battlefield all plans have to be made. War can only be made when one is sure to be the victor.

A Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) print of the Xinshu is preserved in the Junshi Kexue Yuan 軍事科學院. The title Xinshu is included in the series Guang Han-Wei congshu 廣漢魏叢書, Zishu baijia 子書百家 (Baizi quanshu 百子全書) and Bingshu qizhong 兵書七種. The series Tang-Song congshu 唐宋叢書, Xuehai leibian 學海類編 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編 use the title Xinshu 新書.

The text is also included in the collected works of Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Liang ji 諸葛亮集, which were compiled by Wang Shiqi 王士騏 xxx. The collected works of Zhuge Liang were republished in 1960 by the Zhonghua shuju Press 中華書局.

Sources:
An Qi 安琪 (2020). "Rujia wuchang sixiang dui Jiangyuan de yingxiang 儒家“五常”思想对《将苑》的影响", Dazhong wenyi 大众文艺, 2020 (8): 23-24.
Chen Ying 陳瑛, Xu Qixian 許啟賢, ed. (1989). Zhongguo lunli da cidian 中國倫理大辭典 (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), 133.
Dai Shufen 戴淑芬, Chen Xiang 陈翔 (2004). "Xinshu shiren yongren xue: Zhuge Liang yongren zhi dao 《心书》识人用人学——诸葛亮用人之道", Beijing Keji Daxue xuebao (Shehui kexue ban) 北京科技大学学报(社会科学版), 2004 (3): 93-96.
Hua Fuyun 华赴云 (1981). "Weishu Jiangyuan guanjian 伪书《将苑》管见", Jiaoxue yu yanjiu 教学与研究, 1981 (3): 21-26.
Ke Ping 克平, Gong Huangcheng 龚煌城, Peng Xiangqian 彭向前 (2008). "Zhuge Liang Jiangyuan de fanwen yiben 诸葛亮《将苑》的番文译本", Ningxia shehui kexue 宁夏社会科学, 2008 (6): 130-134.
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文郁, ed. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 2, 1617.
Lin Chongde 林崇德, Yang Zhiliang 楊治良, Huang Xiting 黃希庭, ed. (2003). Xinlixue da cidian 心理學大辭典 (Shanghai jiaoyu chubanshe), Vol. 2, 1422.
Liu Ling 柳玲 (1997). "Jiangyuan 將苑", in Men Kui 門巋, Zhang Yanjin 張燕瑾, ed. Zhonghua guocui da cidian 中華國粹大辭典 (Xianggang: Guoji wenhua chuban gongsi), 148.
Liu Qing 劉慶 (1996). "Jiangyuan 將苑", in Feng Kezheng 馮克正, Fu Qingsheng 傅慶升, ed. Zhuzi baijia da cidian 諸子百家大辭典 (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), 414.
Liu Xianting 刘先廷 (1987). "Zhuge Liang Jiangyuan zhushi jianjie 《诸葛亮“将苑”注释》简介", Junshi lishi 军事历史, 1987 (2): 48.
Liu Zhigang 刘志刚 (2007). "Tan Jiangyuan de tuilun tezheng 谈《将苑》的推论特征", Zhida xuebao 职大学报, 2007 (1): 120, 8.
Nie Hongyin 聂鸿音 (2018). "Zhuge Liang Jiangyuan kaobu 诸葛亮《将苑》考补", Wenxian 文献, 2018 (1): 43-51.
Pei Qing 裴青 (1993). "Jiangyuan 將苑", in Ru Xin 汝信, ed. Shijie baike zhuzuo cidian 世界百科著作辭典 (Beijing: Zhongguo gongren chubanshe), 202.
Shu Chang 舒畅 (2009). "Jiangyuan he Pianyi shiliu ce zhong de junshi qingbao sixiang 《将苑》和《便宜十六策》中的军事情报思想", Binzhou Xueyuan xuebao 滨州学院学报, 2009 (1): 5-8.
Su Chuanxun 蘇傳訓 (1989). "Jiangyuan 將苑", in Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, part Junshi 軍事 (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), Vol. 1, 473.
Wang Shuya 王舒雅 (2008). "Zhuge Liang ruhe xuan mishu: Cong Zhuge Liang Xinshu kan dangdai mishu ying jubei de suyang 诸葛亮如何选秘书——从诸葛亮《心书》看当代秘书应具备的素养", Mishu gongzuo 秘书工作, 2008 (12): 58.
Wu Feng 吳楓, ed. (1987). Jianming Zhongguo guji cidian 簡明中國古籍辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 161.
Yang Qingwang 楊慶旺, Ha Hua 哈鏵, ed. (1987). Zhongguo junshi zhishi cidian 中國軍事知識辭典 (Beijing: Huaxia chubanshe), 654.