Revealing Hidden Dimensions of 'Jí Yú Qiū Yì': Linguistic Archaeology, Political Pathology, and the Political Economy of Exodus—A Study Centered on the 'Use of Troops' Chapter in Sun Tzu's Art of War

This study reinterprets the phrase "jí yú qiū yì" (急於丘役) from Sun Tzu’s Art of War ("The Use of Troops" chapter), arguing that it does not refer to institutional conscription by rulers but rather signifies the desperate flight of civilians into mountainous wilderness to engage in "survival labor" (private/subsistence corvée) due to wartime economic collapse. The research employs three methodological approaches: Linguistic archaeology—deconstructing the semantic evolution of "jí yú" (volitional urgency), "qiū" (marginal spaces), and "yì" (gray/illicit labor). Historical pathology—analyzing Warring States-era refugee phenomena and household registry collapse using excavated texts (e.g., Liye Qin slips). Theoretical synthesis—constructing a "political economy of exodus" framework to dialogue with Western theories (Hobbes’ social contract, Scott’s Zomia, Tilly’s state formation). The findings offer historical insights for contemporary refugee governance, demonstrating how premodern China’s collapse dynamics anticipate modern state fragility patterns.