KEY CONCEPTS

TERMBASES

Army of Justice / Just War

First formulated by Wu Qi (440?-381 BC), a far-famed statesman and military strategist of the Warring States Period, the concept refers to either armed forces fighting for justice or morally justified wars. In this context, yi (义) specifically means “forbidding violence and eliminating chaos,” denoting acts generally regarded as righteous. As an act of extreme violence itself, a war should only be waged for a good reason and not as a means to bully the weak or assault the few. It should least of all be used out of such emotional factors as greed and anger. The Chinese have advocated the just and judicious use of military force since ancient times, with the firm conviction that justice is invincible. This is a manifestation of the Chinese humanistic spirit.

CITATION
1
An army that fights to quell violence and rescues people from peril is an army of justice.
CITATION
2
Thus an army of justice pacifies the people without going into battle.
CITATION
3
Even if a righteous army fails, the cause it fights for is bound to prevail.
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