Three years of scrounging on Ali Express #classicalchinese #aliexpressfinds #shelfie

The difference between my English and Chinese copies of The Art of War never stops being funny.

#classicalchinese

the cover design isn't at all inappropriate; the original intended audience was not (as many modern people suppose) experienced, battle-hardened lords who wanted to refine their technique to perfection, but twelve-year-olds who were gonna inherit daddy's army one day and needed it hammered into their heads "look Junior, I know that food has always just magically appeared on your plate without you thinking about where it came from, but if you don't take care of the logistics of feeding your army they will literally kill you and bring the enemy your head as a peace offering"
@0xabad1dea i found it quite funny how many of silicon valley's biggest thinkers found the art of war spiritually profound. like, they're sort of the target audience but not for the reasons they think

@whitequark @0xabad1dea

I read it in my late teens and thought it didn’t contain anything that was non-obvious (aside from a few things that were just plain wrong). I assumed that was because it was written so long ago that everything in it was general knowledge by then, but understanding that it’s written for spoiled noble children makes a lot of sense.

@whitequark @0xabad1dea they were also mostly ayn rand lovers I think?
@whitequark @0xabad1dea
I like to call it "Babbies First War"