The Methods of the Sima

The Methods of the Sima rarely discusses direct issues related to battlefield command, instead concerning itself with how to initiate, administer, and manage military campaigns.

[1] The text emphasizes ritual differentiation between the civil and military realms (wen and wu), and marks complementarity of the two (e.g. 天子之義 chapter, 文與武左右也).

The Methods of the Sima promotes the view that warfare is necessary to the existence of the state, that it provides the principal means for punishing evil and rescuing the oppressed, and that its conscientious exploitation is the foundation for political power.

[2] The contributors to the Methods of the Sima stress that appropriate civil and military roles must be distinguished because of their contradictory values.

Because it identifies the only justification for warfare as eradicating a government evil, the Methods encourages commanders to engage in ceremonial, accusatory formalities before beginning a campaign, and makes it a vital necessity that the army's soldiers understand the virtuous nature of their mission.

Presently, because only five of the 155 chapters reported in the Han dynasty exist, all editions of the Methods of the Sima seem to be remnants of a larger, more extensive work.

[7] Another view, promoted by modern scholars such as Liu Yin, was that the core material present in the Methods of the Sima was created during the reign of Duke Huan of Qi (r.685-643 BC), successfully guiding Duke Huan in his efforts to become a regional hegemon (霸).

A century later, Duke Jing of Qi (r.547-490) reportedly used the work in his successful effort to retake land previously lost to Qin, and to subjugate several other feudal lords.

According to this theory, the texts used by these rulers were all gathered and compiled during the reign of King Wei of Qi, and the resulting book came to be known as the Methods of the Sima.