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{{Chinese Military Texts}}
The '''''Wei Liaozi''''' ({{zh-tsp|t=尉繚子|s=尉缭子|p=Wèi Liáozi}}) is a text on military strategy, one of the [[Seven Military Classics]] of ancient
==History and authorship==
The work is purportedly named after Wei Liao,<ref>"Zi" (子; "Tzu" in [[Wade-Giles]] transliteration) was used as a suffix for the family name of a respectable man in ancient Chinese culture. It is a rough equivalent to "Sir" and is commonly translated into English as "Master".</ref> who is said to have either been a student of [[Lord Shang]] or an important advisor during the [[Qin Dynasty]]. However, there is little evidence to support either view. The only textual reference to Wei Liao outside of the ''Wei Liaozi'' is in the ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]] (Shiji)'', where he is cast as an advisor to [[Qin Shi Huang]], the youthful king of the state of [[Qin (state)|Qin]]. Since the Wei Liaozi contains almost no actual strategy, it is thought that Wei Liao was a
==Content==
The ''Wei Liaozi'' frequently advocates both a civil and military approach to affairs. According to the text, agriculture and people are the two greatest resources of the state, and both should be nurtured and provided for. Although the ''Wei Liaozi'' does not specifically mention [[Confucianism]], the text advocates a government based on humanistic values, in line with that school of thought. The ruler should be the paradigm of virtue in the state. However, heterodoxy and other values not conducive to the state should be punished using draconian measures.<ref>Sawyer (1993) pp. 232–238</ref>
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