In China, a civilization with one of the world's longest continuous histories, 战争 (zhànzhēng) is a concept steeped in millennia of experience. From the foundational wars of the Qin Dynasty unification to the turbulent Warring States period, the Mongol invasions, the Opium Wars, and the devastating Second Sino-Japanese War (第二次世界大战的一部分, a part of WWII), war has been a recurring and formative force in the national consciousness.
Unlike some Western portrayals that might romanticize individual heroism, the traditional Chinese perspective on `战争`, heavily influenced by thinkers like Sun Tzu (孙子), often focuses on strategy, deception, endurance, and the immense human cost. Sun Tzu's The Art of War (《孙子兵法》 Sūnzǐ Bīngfǎ) treats warfare not as a glorious pursuit but as a “grave matter of state” (国之大事) to be avoided if possible and won decisively and intelligently if not.
This is different from the Western concept of “war” which can sometimes be tied to notions of freedom-fighting or a “just war” with a more clear-cut moral righteousness. In the Chinese context, `战争` often evokes a heavier sense of historical cycles, dynastic change, and collective suffering, with a profound cultural preference for 和平 (hépíng), or peace.