天官

Celestial Offices

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梁惠王問刑德

King Hui of Liang Asks About Punishment and Virtue

梁惠王問尉繚子曰：「黃帝刑德，可以百勝，有之乎？」

King Hui of Liang asked Wei Liao: "Is it true that the Yellow Emperor's doctrine of punishment and virtue can guarantee victory in every battle?"

Notes

1person

梁惠王 (Liáng Huì Wáng): King Hui of Liang (r. 370-319 BC), also known as King Hui of Wei (魏惠王). He moved his capital to Daliang (modern Kaifeng), hence the designation 'Liang.' He is the same ruler who appears in dialogue with Mencius.

2person

尉繚子 (Wèi Liáo Zǐ): Wei Liao, a military theorist of the Warring States period. His identity is debated -- some sources place him under King Hui of Wei (4th century BC), others under Qin Shi Huang (3rd century BC). The text bearing his name focuses on military regulations and institutional reform.

3context

刑德 (xing de, 'punishment and virtue') was a cosmological-military concept attributed to the Yellow Emperor. It held that campaigns launched in alignment with certain celestial and directional patterns would ensure victory. Wei Liao's response rejects this superstition.

人事勝天官

Human Effort Surpasses Celestial Calculations

尉繚子對曰：「刑以伐之，德以守之，非所謂天官時日陰陽向背也。黃帝者，人事而已矣。何者？今有城，東西攻不能取，南北攻不能取，四方豈無順時乘之者耶？然不能取者，城高池深，兵器備具，財谷多積，豪士一謀者也。若城下池淺守弱，則取之矣。由是觀之，天官時日不若人事也。

Wei Liao replied: "Using punishment to attack and virtue to defend -- this has nothing to do with celestial offices, auspicious days, yin and yang, or favorable directions. What the Yellow Emperor practiced was simply effective human administration, nothing more.

Consider a city: you attack from east and west and cannot take it; you attack from north and south and cannot take it. Among the four directions, surely at least one was astrologically favorable? Yet the city stands, because its walls are high, its moats deep, its weapons fully stocked, its grain stores abundant, and its capable men united in purpose. If the walls were low, the moats shallow, and the defense weak, you would take it regardless. From this we can see: celestial timing and auspicious days are no match for human effort."

Notes

4context

天官時日 (tian guan shi ri) refers to the system of 'celestial offices' -- a body of astrological doctrine that prescribed favorable and unfavorable times and directions for military operations. Wei Liao's rejection of this system is a hallmark of the rationalist, Legalist-influenced strand of Chinese military thought.

5translation

豪士一謀: literally 'capable men united in one plan.' This refers to the defenders coordinating their strategy effectively -- a matter of leadership and organization, not cosmology.

歷史反證

Historical Counterexamples

（案）［按］天官曰：『背水陳為絕（紀）［地］，向阪陳為廢軍。』武王伐紂，背濟水向山阪而陳，以二萬二千五百人，擊紂之億萬而滅商，豈紂不得天官之陳哉？楚將公子心與齊人戰，時有彗星出，柄在齊。柄所在勝，不可擊。公子心曰：『彗星何知！以彗斗者，固倒而勝焉。』明日與齊戰，大破之。黃帝曰：『先神先鬼，先稽我智。』謂之天（時）［官］，人事而已。」

"According to celestial office doctrine: 'Deploying with water behind you is fatal ground; deploying facing uphill is a doomed army.' Yet when King Wu attacked Zhou of Shang, he deployed with the Ji River behind him and facing a hillside, and with only 22,500 men he struck Zhou's millions and destroyed the Shang. Was Zhou somehow denied a favorable celestial deployment?

When the Chu general Gongzi Xin fought against Qi, a comet appeared with its tail pointing toward Qi. According to the doctrine, whichever side the tail points to will win, and that side should not be attacked. Gongzi Xin said: 'What does a comet know! Those who fight with a broom-star simply turn it around and win.' The next day he engaged Qi in battle and crushed them.

The Yellow Emperor said: 'Before consulting spirits and ghosts, first examine your own intelligence.' What people call celestial offices is simply human effort, nothing more."

Notes

6person

武王 (Wǔ Wáng): King Wu of Zhou, who overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye (c. 1046 BC). His victory against overwhelming numerical odds became the standard example of righteous warfare triumphing over tyranny.

7person

紂 (Zhòu): King Zhou of Shang, the last ruler of the Shang dynasty. Traditionally depicted as a tyrant whose cruelty lost him the Mandate of Heaven.

8person

公子心 (Gōngzǐ Xīn): A Chu prince and military commander. His defiance of comet-based divination illustrates the practical, anti-superstitious attitude Wei Liao advocates.

9context

The chapter's central argument -- that human factors (leadership, preparation, logistics, morale) determine victory, not astrology -- places the Weiliaozi firmly in the rationalist military tradition alongside the Sunzi and Wuzi.

Edition & Source

Text: 《尉繚子》 Weiliaozi
Edition: 中華古詩文古書籍網 transcription
Commentary: Traditional military commentaries