''Guiguzi'' (), also called ''Baihece'' (), is a collection of ancient Chinese texts compiled between the late
Warring States
The Warring States period in Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and struggles for gre ...
period and the end of the
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...
. The work, between 6,000 and 7,000
Chinese character
Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only on ...
s, discusses techniques of
rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...
. Although originally associated with the
School of Diplomacy, the Guiguzi was later integrated into the
Daoist canon.
The set of books is also sometimes called ''Benjing yinfu qishu'' ().
Author
The author is referred to as the eponymous Guiguzi, active near the 4th century BC. The name translates literally to 'Sage of Ghost Valley'.
There are many theories about Guiguzi's origin. One hypothesizes him to be from the nation of
Wey (present day
Henan province
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Luo ...
); the other claims him to be from Yedi (鄴地) (present day
Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
) in the state of
Wei. Other theories attribute his origin to either the city of
Dancheng in ancient nation of
Chen, or near the county of Yunyang (
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
) on the bank of the
Han River.
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, people regarded him as a
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...
and a
Taoist priest
A ''daoshi'' () or Taoshih, translated as Taoist priest, Taoist monk, or Taoist professional is a priest in Taoism. The courtesy title of a senior is ''daozhang'' (, meaning "Tao master"), and a highly accomplished and revered is often cal ...
who lived away from the masses in the Ghost Valley (鬼谷).
Guiguzi is also one of the tutelary spirits claimed by the founder of
Weixinism, in recent years.
Research
There has been much speculation about the identity of the writer of ''Guiguzi'' and the authenticity of the work as a whole.
While there has been no final outcome to this discussion, Chinese scholars believe that the compilation reflects a genuine corpus of Warring States period writings on political lobbying. While most writers doubt the assertion that the ''Guiguzi'' was written by a single personality, the ''
Records of the Grand Historian
The ''Shiji'', also known as ''Records of the Grand Historian'' or ''The Grand Scribe's Records'', is a Chinese historical text that is the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written during the late 2nd and early 1st ce ...
'' do refer to a Guigu
Xiansheng (, i.e., Mr. Guigu) who taught persuaders
Su Qin
Su Qin (380–284 BCE) was a Chinese political consultant and philosopher who was an influential political strategist during the Warring States period. He was born in Chengxuan Village, Luoyang, in present-day Henan Province. According to legend ...
and
Zhang Yi. Thus, this Guigu is traditionally considered the founder of the
School of Diplomacy (; ), a school of thought which was particularly interested in rhetoric. Guigu Xiansheng is also said to have taught famous Warring States generals
Sun Bin and
Pang Juan.
The association of the name Wang Xu () is not generally held to be supported.
Whereas books I and II are attributed to the same author, Book III is likely an addition by a later author. There is no material in the text to support the view held by some that ''Guiguzi'' is a book on military tactics.
Contents
Principles of rhetoric and persuasion taught in ''Guiguzi'' include keeping oneself hidden and silent so that the counterpart cannot see what one is doing. Ideally, the counterpart should be convinced that his decisions were made all by himself. This is considered as the ideal course to follow.
Coercion or sacrificing oneself to achieve the intended purpose is not recommended.
Compared to western philosophy, parallels can be made between the teachings of ''Guiguzi'' with those of
Machiavelli.
''Guiguzi'' comprises three books, with chapters on different strategies of observation and persuasion.
Translations
There have been translations of ''Guiguzi'' into modern Chinese, German, English, and Russian (see below). Almost all modern annotated texts and western translations rely heavily on the explanations of the texts attributed to the Eastern Jin scholar
Tao Hongjing
Tao Hongjing (456–536), courtesy name Tongming, was a Chinese alchemist, astronomer, calligrapher, military general, musician, physician, and pharmacologist during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. A polymathic individual of many tal ...
.
References
Further reading
*蕭登福《鬼谷子研究》. 2001 文津出版社
*陈宇《鬼谷子兵法破解》. /E.2024
*
Guiguzi, China's First Treatise on Rhetoric: A Critical Translation and Commentary'. Trans. Hui Wu. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 2016.
*''Thunder in the Sky: Secrets on the Acquisition and Exercise of Power.'' Trans. Thomas Cleary. Boston: Shambbala Books, 1994.
*Michael Robert Borschat
"Guiguzi': A Textual Study and Translation" University of Washington Ph.D. Thesis, 1985.
*Chung Se Kimm, "Kuei-Kuh-Tse: Der Philosoph vom Teufelstal," 1927.
*Robert van Gulik: 'Kuei-ku-tzu, The Philosopher of the Ghost Vale", "China", XIII, no 2 (May 1939).
*«Гуй Гу-цзы». В кн: Искусство управления. Сост., пер., вступ. ст. и коммент. В.В. Малявина. М.: «Издательство Астрель»: «Издательство АСТ», 2003. С.244-318.
*Xu Fuhong. ''Guiguzi Yan Jiu.'' Shanghai: Shanghai Classics Press, 2008.
*Xu Fuhong. ''Guiguzi Jijiao Jizhu.'' Beihing: Zhonghua shuju, 2008.
*Chen Puqing, ''Guiguzi xiangjie.'' Changsha, Hunan: Yuelu Press, 2005.
*Du Yong. "On the Time Record of ''Guiguzi''." ''Journal of Tianjing Normal University:; Social Science'' 170.6 (2003): 30–32.
*Xiao Yuhan. ''Guiguzi zhuaqi: Quan jie zhanguo diyi quiren mieguozhishu.'' Beijing: Tuanjie shubanshe, 2002.
*Xiao Dengfu. ''Guiguzi Yan Jiu.'' Taibei, Taiwan: Wenjin Press, 2001.
*Daniel Coyle. "''Guiguzi'': On the Cosmological Axes of Chinese Persuasion." Dissertation. University of Hawaii, 1999.
*Fang Lizhong. ''Guiguzi quanshu.'' Beijing: Shumu wenxian chubanshe, 1993.
*Zhang Jianguo. ''Guiguzi shiyong zhimou daquan.'' Beijing: Meteorological Press, 1993.
*Zhang Shixin. "Demystifying Guiguzi." ''Journal of Zhejiang Teachers University: Social Science Edition'' 2 (1990): 42–47.
*
External links
*
Guiguzi on Ctext
{{Authority control
Ancient Chinese philosophical literature
Chinese literature