The "Seven Books of Martial Arts" is a series of books on the art of war issued by the Northern Song Dynasty as an official text. It is the first military textbook in ancient China.
In April of the third year of Yuanfeng (1080), Shenzong ordered the Imperial Academy’s Si Ye Zhu Fu and others to revise "Sun Tzu", "Wu Zi", "Sima Fa", "Tang Taizong Li Weigong's Questions" and "Wei Liao" "Zi", "Three Strategies of Huangshi Gong" and "Six Tao" 7 military books, and according to this order, they were promulgated in martial arts under the name of "Seven Books of Martial Arts" as a must-read classic and the basis for examinations.
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Later, the order of the seven books changed: during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, "Tang Taizong Li Weigong's Questions" was moved from the 4th to the 7th. "Six Tao" changed from 7th to 4th; during Guangzong's reign, "Six Tao" was promoted to the first place, and "Tang Taizong Li Weigong asked questions" was ranked between "Sima Fa" and "Wei Liaozi" ; In the Ming Dynasty, Liu Yin's "Direct Interpretation of the Seven Books of the Martial Arts" restored the order of Zhu Fu's revision.
The representative annotated versions of this book include "Lectures on the Seven Books of the Military Classics" by Shi Zimei of the Song Dynasty, "Direct Interpretations of the Seven Books of the Military Classics" by Liu Yin of the Ming Dynasty, and "Collected Interpretations of the Seven Books of the Military Classics" by Zhu Yong of the Qing Dynasty. ”, Lu Jing’s “Comprehensive Interpretation of the Martial Classics”, etc. This book established the orthodox status of military books, contributed to the spread of seven other military books including "Sun Tzu", and had a positive impact on military science and war practice after the Song Dynasty.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Seven Books of Martial Arts