Six Nations Complete Study Guide 2025: Original Language, Translation and DSE Exam Tips

As one of the twelve sample essays in Chinese Language, The Treatise on the Six Countries is an important part of the DSE examination. This article provides comprehensive learning resources, including paragraph-by-paragraph comparison of the original text, detailed explanations of Chinese characters and vocabulary, analyses of writing styles, and analyses of past exam questions, to help students gain an in-depth understanding of Su Xun's classic essay and master his subtle argumentation of making a mockery of the present and the past, so as to be well-prepared for the DSE examination.

A Comparison of the Ancient Pages of the Six Kingdoms Theory and the Modern Annotations

Su Xun's Life and Creative Background

Su Xun (1009-1066), courtesy name Mingyun, a native of Meishan, Meizhou (present-day Meishan, Sichuan Province), was a famous literary scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, known together with his sons Su Shi and Su Ru as the Three Su, and included in the "Eight Great Poets of the Tang and Song Dynasties". Su Xun was an expert in prose, especially in political discourse, with lucid arguments and vigorous strokes, and his Jiayou ji (The Collection of Jiayou) has been handed down to the world.

The Six Kingdoms was written during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty (c. 1040s), when the Northern Song Dynasty was politically corrupt, militarily weak, and diplomatically extremely weak. At that time, the Northern Song Dynasty was politically corrupt, militarily weak, and diplomatically extremely weak. Every year, it was necessary to contribute a large amount of silver and commodities to the Khitan and the Western Xia, and such a policy of "bribing the Qin" fuelled the enemy's flames, added to the people's burdens, and greatly undermined the strength of the state.

Su Xun's Portrait and the Historical Background of the Northern Song Dynasty

In-depth understanding of the historical background of the Northern Song Dynasty

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Comparison of the Diplomatic Dilemmas of the Six Warring States and the Northern Song Dynasty

The key to understanding The Six Kingdoms lies in grasping the similarities between the relationship between the Six Kingdoms and Qin during the Warring States period, as well as the diplomatic dilemmas of the Northern Song Dynasty and those of the Khitan and Western Xia. Su Xun is making a mockery of the past and using the historical lesson of the demise of the Six Powers to warn the Northern Song rulers not to repeat the same mistake.

Historical Period	Political Bureau	foreign policy	result
Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC)	The seven kingdoms are fighting for supremacy, and Qin is powerful.	The Six Nations ceded their lands to Qin for a moment of peace.	The Six Kingdoms fell one after another, and Qin unified the world.
Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127)	The Northern Song Dynasty was weak, but the Khitan and Western Xia were strong.	Surrendered to the Khitan and Xixia and begged for peace.	The country was weakening and was eventually destroyed by the Jin dynasty.

Maps of the Six Kingdoms and Qin during the Warring States period compared with maps of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Khitan Kingdom (Western Xia).

A Comparison of the Original and Translated Texts of the Treatise on the Six Kingdoms

First paragraph: presenting the central point

The destruction of the six kingdoms was not due to unfavourable troops or bad war, but to the fact that they were bribed by Qin. The disadvantage was that the Qin were bribed. Bribing the Qin and losing strength was also the way to break up the six kingdoms. Or said: "The six countries are losing each other, the rate of bribery of Qin Yes? Said: "Not to bribe people to bribe people to lose, cover the loss of strong support, can not be completed alone. Therefore, it is said that the disadvantage in bribery Qin also!

Interpretation:The Six Powers fell not because their weapons were not sharp enough and they lost the war, but because they bribed the Qin State. And when they did so, they lost their own strength, and that was the reason why the six kingdoms fell. This is the reason why the six kingdoms fell. Some people ask, "Was it because of the bribery of Qin that the six kingdoms fell one after another? What I want to say is: "Those who did not bribe Qin also perished because of those who did bribe him, for they were deprived of strong support and were unable to preserve their own states on their own. That is why I say, 'The evil is in bribing the Qin!

A Comparison of the First Paragraph of the Treatise on the Six Powers in Chinese and its Modern Translation

Explanation of key words and phrases

destroy: Extinction
in-: No.
the military is not favourable: Weapons are not sharp
be in a bad warfail to act lawfully
detriment: ills, scourges

Bribery Qin: Bribing the Qin State, meaning to cede land for peace.
power loss: Loss of national power
or that: It was said (questioned)
hastyAll of them.
cover: because

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Paragraph 2: Argues for the reasons why the Bribery Qin will surely be destroyed.

The Qin's attack and capture of other countries, small or big, will result in the acquisition of an area or a city, which is a hundred times more than the Qin's gain and the victory in the war, and a hundred times more than the loss of the marquis and the defeat in the war. Then the great desire of Qin and the great danger of the lords are not in war. I am thinking of my grandfather, who had to cut down the thorns in order to have a place of his own size. His children and grandchildren did not value it much, and gave it to others as if it were a piece of grass. Today he cuts off five cities, tomorrow ten, and then he can sleep for a night. The Qin army was coming again, but the land of the vassal was limited. However, the land of the feudal lords was limited, and the desire of the tyrannical Qin was insatiable. Therefore, without a battle, the victory and defeat of the strong and the weak had already been decided. As for the subversion, the reason is certainly appropriate. As the old saying goes: "Serving Qin with land is like holding a salary to put out a fire; if the salary is not exhausted, the fire will not be extinguished". This is true.

Interpretation:Apart from seizing land by attacking and fighting, Qin got towns and cities in small and large scale. Compared with the land Qin got by bribing and the land Qin got by winning the war, it was actually 100 times more; compared with the land the feudal lords lost by bribing and the land they lost by defeating the war, it was also 100 times more. What Qin wanted most, and what the feudal lords should be most worried about, was not war. Think about this: The ancestors of the six kingdoms had to brave the winds and the rain and the hardships to get a little bit of land. However, their descendants did not care about the land and gave it away as if they were throwing away grass. Today they ceded five cities, tomorrow they will cede ten cities, and then they will get a peaceful night's sleep. But the next day, when they got up, they went to the border and saw that the Qin army was here again. So it seems that the vassals had limited land, but the desire of Qin was never satisfied. The more land the vassals gave to Qin, the more urgent Qin's aggression against the vassals. The more land they gave to Qin, the more eagerly Qin invaded them. Therefore, without a war of writings, the victory of the weak and the strong could be determined. It is only natural that all of them should end up in total destruction. The ancient saying goes, "Serving the Qin state with land is like holding firewood to put out a fire; if the firewood is not burnt out, the fire will not be extinguished. This is true.

Illustration of ancient people holding a fire to put out a fire as an analogy for the Six Kingdoms to bribe Qin.

Analysis of rhetorical devices

simile

"The analogy of the six states' cession of land to Qin as putting out a fire with a salary is a vivid illustration of the fact that the cession of land for peace would only serve to fuel Qin's ambitions and ultimately lead to its own demise.

comparison

"I think of my ancestors, who stormed the frosts and dews and hacked through the thorns in order to gain a sizeable piece of land. The descendants did not value it much, and gave it to others as if it were a piece of grass" - a sharp contrast between the hard work of the ancestors and the easy cession of the descendants, highlighting the unwiseness of the descendants of the six kingdoms.

The third paragraph: argues that Qi, Yan and Zhao, who did not bribe Qin, had their own ways to save themselves.

The Qi people have never tried to bribe the Qin, but eventually the five kingdoms moved on and perished. The Qi people had not bribed the Qin, but eventually the five kingdoms were destroyed. The five states are now lost, and the Qi will not be spared. The ruler of Yan and Zhao had a far-reaching strategy, and was able to defend his land without bribing Qin. Therefore, although Yan was a small state, it died later, and this was also the result of the use of military force. To Dan to Jing Qing as a plan, began to speed up the disaster. Zhao fought five battles against Qin, losing two and winning three. Later, the Qin attacked Zhao again, but Li Mu was able to overcome it. Scott Mak was killed by mediocrity, and Handan became a county, but his use of martial arts did not end. And Yan Zhao at the time of Qin's destruction can be said to be intellectually lonely, defeat and death, honestly had no choice. To make the three countries love their own land, the Qi people do not attach to the Qin, assassins do not work, good generals are still there, then the number of victories and defeats, the reason for survival, when compared with the Qin, or not easy to measure.

Interpretation:Qi did not bribe Qin, but it eventually fell with the Five Kingdoms, why? Why? It was because he was close to Qin but did not help the five kingdoms. After the fall of the Five Kingdoms, Qi could not be spared. The rulers of Yan and Zhao had the foresight to stick to their own territories and uphold justice by not bribing Qin. Therefore, although Yan was a small state, it eventually perished. This was the effect of using military force. It was not until Prince Dan of Yan used Jin Ke Ke to assassinate the King of Qin that he began to incur the disaster of destruction. Zhao had fought against Qin five times, losing twice and winning three times. Later on, Qin attacked Zhao repeatedly, but Zhao's general Li Mu repulsed them. After Li Mu was killed for his mediocre words, Handan of Zhao became a county of Qin. It was a pity that Zhao was unable to fight against Qin by force to the end. Moreover, Yan and Zhao were at a time when Qin had wiped out the six kingdoms, so it could be said that they had no choice but to lose the war because they had exhausted their wisdom and power. If Han, Wei and Chu had each cherished their own land, Qi had not attached itself to Qin, the plan to assassinate the king of Qin had not been carried out, and the good general Li Mu had still been in power, then the fate of victory or defeat, and the reason for the survival of the six kingdoms in comparison with Qin might not have been so easily determined!

Jingkeshi's Historical Scene of the Assassination of the Qin King

Analysis of Argumentative Techniques

Give examples

Qi's Failure of "Joining with Ying but Not Helping the Five Kingdoms
An example of Yan's "righteousness not to bribe Qin" but "Dan's plan for Jingqing".
Example of Zhao's "five battles against Qin, two defeats and three victories

hypothetical argument

"To make each of the three kingdoms love its own land."
"Do not attach yourselves to Qin."
"The assassins are gone, but the generals are still here."
"Then the number of victories and defeats... "may not be easy to measure."

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Paragraph 4: Summarising the lessons of history and reminding the rulers of the country

A big thank you! If we take the land of Qin as a place for the people of the world, and give them all the talents of the world as gifts, and make efforts to go west, then I am afraid that the people of Qin will not be able to swallow the food they eat. Sadness! There is such a trend, but for the Qin people to accumulate the power of the hijacking, the day cut the month, to tend to the death. For the state, do not make for the accumulation of power of the hijacking!

Interpretation:Alas! If we could divide the land we bribed the Qin Kingdom with the scheming ministers of the world, and if we could honour the wizards of the world with the intention of serving the Qin Kingdom, and if we could move to the west with one heart and one mind and work together against the Qin Kingdom, then I think the Qin Kingdom would be so terrified that it would not be able to eat its food. This is really sad! Despite such a favourable situation, the Qin state was threatened by its long-established power, and kept on weakening its power and ceding its land, and then it gradually went into extinction. Those who rule a country must not allow themselves to be threatened by the power that has been built up over a long period of time!

Imaginary Scene of the Six Nations Combining Their Efforts to Fight Qin

Paragraph 5: Irony of the past and warning of the present

The six states and Qin are all vassals, their strength is weaker than Qin, but there can still be no bribery and victory; if the world's great, and from the six states of the story of the destruction of the six states, it is again in the six states under the carry on.

Interpretation:The Six Kingdoms and Qin were both vassal states. Although the Six Kingdoms were weaker than Qin, they were still in a position to win the war without having to bribe Qin. If we rely on such a big world but have to repeat the same mistake as that of the Six Powers, we are even worse than the Six Powers.

Diplomatic Relations between the Northern Song Dynasty and the Western Xia of the Khitan Empire

Analysis of the Irony of the Past

Su Xun cleverly borrowed the history of the Six Kingdoms and Qin during the Warring States period to satirise the humiliating foreign policy of the Northern Song Dynasty towards the Khitan and the Western Xia. The last paragraph of the article, "The Six Powers and Qin were both vassals, and their power was weaker than Qin's, but they were still able to defeat Qin without a fight; if one were to take advantage of the greatness of the world and follow the story of the Six Powers, one would be under the Six Powers again." This is a direct indication that the Northern Song Dynasty, with the advantage of "the greatness of the world," would be worse off than the Six Powers if it were to follow the Six Powers' same old disastrous path. This technique of satirising the present with the past is not only a tactful way to express criticism, but also avoids directly angering those in power, and at the same time leaves a deep impression on the readers.

Analysis of the Writing Techniques of The Six Kingdoms

Rhetoric

dyad: "A small town is a small city, but a large city is a large city".
Ask a question"The six kingdoms are mourning each other, and they are all trying to bribe Qin?"
simile"Serving Qin with land is like putting out a fire with firewood."
comparison"My late grandfather... "and his grandchildren did not cherish him."
exaggerate"Five cities today, ten tomorrow."

argumentation technique

Give examples: Examples of Qi, Yan, and Zhao
metaphorical argument: The metaphor of putting out a fire with a paycheck
comparative argument: Bribing the Qin and Losing Land in War
hypothetical argument"So that each of the three kingdoms may love its own land..."
Citing arguments: Quoting the ancient saying, "To serve Qin with the land..."

Structural techniques

put pen to paper and start an argumentThe first part of the book is "The evils of the Qin Dynasty".
Layer by layer: A step-by-step analysis of the dangers of bribery
make use of the past to satirize the present: Satirising the authorities with the history of the Six Kingdoms
Make Good Use of Tips: each argument is followed by a summary
echo one another: The conclusion echoes the opening argument

Structure of the Six Kingdoms Theory of Writing Techniques

DSE Exam "The Six Kingdoms" Test Prep Guide

DSE Exam Highlights Tip:Common test points in The Six Kingdoms include Chinese vocabulary interpretation, translation, comprehension of content, analysis of writing techniques and comprehension of the main idea. According to the past examination questions, similes such as "Bribing the Qin" and "Putting out the fire with one's salary in one's hand" and the writing technique of "making a mockery of the past and making a mockery of the present" are high-frequency test points.

Analyses of DSE examination questions in the past years

years	Question Type	Test Points	Key Points
2018	Explanation of Chinese Characters and Words	"Explanation of the word "固	"Solid" is interpreted as "original".
2020	reasoning	The metaphor of "putting out a fire by carrying a fire with one's paycheck"	It is a metaphor to show that the Six Nations' use of land to fight against Qin will only encourage Qin's ambitions.

Answer Techniques for DSE Exam on Six Nations

Sample Mock Questions and Answers

Question: Try to explain the meaning of the metaphor: "Serving Qin with the land is like putting out a fire with the help of firewood; if the firewood is not exhausted, the fire will not be extinguished.

Refer to the answer:

This parable illustrates that the Six Powers' attempt to curry favour with Qin by ceding land is like holding onto firewood to put out a fire, which would only make the fire even fiercer. The metaphor of "firewood" is "land", "fire" is "Qin's ambition", and "putting out the fire" is "stopping Qin's invasion". The cession of land by the six states to seek peace would only encourage Qin's aggressive ambitions and ultimately lead to their own destruction, just as the fire would not be extinguished until all the firewood was burnt.

Question: What are the methods of argumentation used in The Six Kingdoms? Give some examples.

Refer to the answer:

The Six Kingdoms Theory employs various methods of argumentation:

Give examplesFor example, the examples of Qi, Yan and Zhao are cited to illustrate the different strategies and results of different countries in facing Qin.
metaphorical argumentFor example, "Serving Qin with land is like holding a salary to put out a fire", which vividly illustrates the danger of bribing Qin.
comparative argumentFor example, the difference between the land gained by Qin through bribery and the land gained from the war was compared to highlight the serious consequences of bribery.
hypothetical argumentFor example, "If the three states love their own land, the Qi will not attach themselves to Qin...". The Chinese text also assumes the possible outcome if the six states could unite to fight against Qin.

Preparation for DSE Examination

Want to get more preparation materials and practice test questions for the Six Nations DSE Exam? Download our "DSE Chinese 12 Sample Essays Exam Guide" now to help you stand out in the exam!

Interactive Learning Tools

Theory of Six Kingdoms Chinese Characters and Words Breaking Game

Chinese Characters and Vocabulary

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Puzzle game with the structure of the Six Nations Theory of Evidence

Argument Structure Puzzle

Through the jigsaw puzzle, you will understand the argumentative structure of The Six Kingdoms and master Su Xun's rigorous argumentative logic and writing skills.

Six Nations Theory DSE Mock Question and Answer System

DSE Mock Questions

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Study Summary and Preparation Advice

    Core Points of the Six Kingdoms Theory
    Central Thesis: The Six Powers' downfall was "due to the corruption of Qin".
Purpose of writing: to make a mockery of the past and warn the rulers of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Argumentation: Examples, Metaphors, Contrasts
Rhetorical features: questioning, simile, couplet, exaggeration
Structural features: thesis in writing, in-depth, echoed at the beginning and end

  

"He who is a ruler must not be robbed by the accumulation of power." --Su Xun

The Six Kingdoms

The Treatise on the Six Powers is not only a brilliant treatise, but also a masterpiece of Su Xun's political thesis, which makes a mockery of the past and criticises the current situation. Through an in-depth analysis of the causes of the demise of the Six Kingdoms, Su Xun politely and forcefully criticised the Northern Song Dynasty's policy of making compromises with foreign countries, demonstrating his profound political insights and concern for the country. Studying The Six Kingdoms will not only enable you to master the skills of reading literary texts and writing expository essays, but also enable you to appreciate the family and national sentiments of ancient Chinese intellectuals and the spirit of admonition.

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