The ''Wubei Zhi'' (; ''Treatise on Armament Technology'' or ''Records of Armaments and Military Provisions''), also commonly known by its Japanese translated name Bubishi, is a military book in

Chinese history The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

. It was compiled in 1621 by （茅元儀 ''Máo Yuányí''; 1594–1640?), an officer of waterborne troops in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

. The ''Wubei Zhi'' contains 240 volumes, 10,405 pages, and more than 200,000

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 ...

Structure

''Wubei Zhi'' consists of five sections, "Bing Jue Ping", "Zhan Lue Kao", "Zhen Lian Zhi", "Jun Zi Sheng", and "Zhan Du Zai". *"Bing Jue Ping" (Commentary on Military Formulae) Containing 18 chapters, this section includes military theories from significant figures including, but not limited to,

Sun Tzu Sun Tzu (; zh, t=孫子, s=孙子, first= t, p=Sūnzǐ) may have been a Chinese General, military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the au ...

. Some of these theories date back to the last years of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, more than 1,800 years before the editor. *"Zhan Lue Kao" (Consideration of Tactics) This section consists of 31 chapters, and describes more than 600 specific examples of battles that took place between the Eastern Zhou dynasty and the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

. Among these are the

Battle of Maling The Battle of Maling () took place in Maling, currently Dazhangjia Town (), Shen County (), Henan Province, in 342 BC during the Warring States period (476–221 BC). The combatants were the State of Qi, who fought on behalf of the State of Ha ...

and

Battle of Red Cliffs The Battle of Red Cliffs, also known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive naval battle in China that took place during the winter of AD 208–209. It was fought on the Yangtze River between the forces of warlords controlling different parts ...

, the latter of which is a classic example of defeating an overpowering enemy. *"Zhen Lian Zhi" (Record of Formations and Training) This section of the book contains 41 chapters. It contains different methods of training troops, including infantry, cavalry, and chariots, as well as individual martial arts training with different weapons such as the spear and Dao. Treasure Boat Shipyard - map relief - P1080081

Treasure Boat Shipyard - map relief - P1080081

*"Jun Zi Sheng" (Summary of Logistics) This section is divided into 55 categories, covering a variety of contents related to wartime logistics, such as marching, encampments, troops arrays, transmitting orders, attacking and defending cities, and provision of food, weapons, healthcare, and transportation, among others. *"Zhan Du Zai" In this section, which is 96 chapters long, the author discusses aspects of weather and geographic features that are related to combat, as well as traditional Chinese methods of divination, formation, and finally, marine navigation. Included into this section is the so-called "

Mao Kun map Mao Kun map, usually referred to in modern Chinese sources as Zheng He's Navigation Map (), is a set of navigation charts published in the Ming dynasty military treatise '' Wubei Zhi''. The book was compiled by in 1621 and published in 1628; the ...

", the unique surviving map representing the Pacific and Indian Ocean shipping routes used by the fleets of

Zheng He Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese eunuch, admiral and diplomat from the early Ming dynasty, who is often regarded as the greatest admiral in History of China, Chinese history. Born into a Muslims, Muslim famil ...

Impact

Being known as "a military encyclopedia in ancient China", ''Wubei Zhi'' is one of the most influential works in Chinese history on warfare. It is a rare source of many maps and weapon designs, and contributed enormously to its various chapters' corresponding areas. It also provides an account of ancient Chinese military theories and Chinese militarists' thoughts.Wubei Zhi. (n.d.)
Retrieved February 24, 2009, from ''china001.com'' .

Gallery

Melee weapons

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Bows and crossbows

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Fire arrows and rockets

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Hand cannons and fire lances

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Matchlock firearms

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Cannons

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Explosives

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Animals

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Notes

References

* (reprinted by the White Lotus Press, 1997, ; )

External links

A discussions of the Okinawan Bubishi (Wubei Zhi) and its significance to karate
* The Bible of Karate (Bubishi) PDF on the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

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