The author: Lives in the cultural province of Henan, near Luoyang, the Zhou capital.
Pre-Qin Yin-Yang School (阴阳家): Philosophy, Contributions, and Legacy
2025-04-01Pre-Qin Eclectic School (杂家): Synthesis of Hundred Schools
2025-04-01
1. Guiguzi (鬼谷子, c. 4th Century BCE)
- Core Philosophy
- Adaptive Persuasion (权变之术): “Align strategies with shifting power dynamics”
- Psychological Manipulation (揣摩术): Reading opponents’ intentions
- Dualistic Tactics (纵横捭阖): Combine alliance-building (“纵”) and division (“横”)
- Key Contributions
- Authored Guiguzi, China’s earliest treatise on political psychology
- Trained legendary strategists Su Qin and Zhang Yi
- Historical Impact
- Defined Warring States diplomacy (475-221 BCE)
- Modern Relevance
- Influences business negotiation and geopolitical strategy
2. Su Qin (苏秦, d. 284 BCE)
| Strategy |
Execution |
Outcome |
| Vertical Alliance (合纵) |
United 6 states against Qin |
Delayed Qin expansion by 60 years |
| Carrot-and-Stick |
Offered mutual defense pacts |
Became Chancellor of 6 states simultaneously |
3. Zhang Yi (张仪, d. 309 BCE)
| Tactic |
Case Study |
Legacy |
| Horizontal Disruption (连横) |
Broke Chu-Qi alliance |
Enabled Qin’s eventual unification |
| Deceptive Diplomacy |
Faked land concessions |
Established “divide and conquer” blueprint |
1 Comment
In fact, Sun Bin and Pang Juan were also classified as strategists. However, Sun Bin achieved greater success in military affairs, so he was also categorized as a military strategist.