How to Read “Even if a nation is great, if it loves war, it will surely perish”
Kuni dai nari to iedomo tatakai wo konomeba kanarazu horobu
Meaning of “Even if a nation is great, if it loves war, it will surely perish”
This proverb means that even a great nation will inevitably fall if it loves war. No matter how powerful its military or how rich its resources, a nation that repeatedly seeks conflict will eventually exhaust itself and collapse from within.
War consumes enormous human and material resources. Even if a nation keeps winning, it gradually loses soldiers’ lives, people’s livelihoods, and economic foundations.
An aggressive stance also makes neighboring countries wary and leads to isolation. This proverb teaches that there are limits to ruling by force. Those with power need humility and self-control most of all.
Today, people understand this wisdom beyond just relations between nations. It applies to organizations and individuals too.
The proverb shows a universal truth: if you keep wielding your power just because you have it, you will eventually destroy yourself.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb likely comes from the ancient Chinese text “Sima Fa” (Methods of the Minister of War). This classic military text offers deep insights not just about warfare techniques, but about the relationship between war and the state.
The text contains a passage: “Even if the world is peaceful, forgetting war brings danger. Even if a nation is large, loving war brings destruction.”
This teaching wasn’t just about tactics. It explained fundamental principles of governing a nation.
In ancient China, many great powers trusted too much in their military strength. They repeatedly invaded neighboring countries, exhausted their national power, and collapsed.
After Qin Shi Huang unified China, the Qin dynasty fell in just over ten years. This historical fact has been passed down as proof of this lesson.
This philosophy came to Japan along with Chinese classics. Even in warrior society, it was passed down as an important lesson.
Warlords during the Warring States period understood that military force alone couldn’t preserve a nation. This proverb contains paradoxical wisdom: precisely because you have power, you must be careful how you use it.
Usage Examples
- That company was the industry leader, but aggressively crushed competitors one after another. True to “Even if a nation is great, if it loves war, it will surely perish,” they lost public trust and declined
- No matter how strong your position, “Even if a nation is great, if it loves war, it will surely perish,” so constantly seeking conflict isn’t wise
Universal Wisdom
The deepest truth this proverb reveals is the paradoxical relationship between power and destruction. When humans gain power, they feel an urge to use it.
With great military strength, they want to test it. They seek the thrill of victory and move toward the next battle. This isn’t just about nations—it’s human nature in all organizations and individuals.
What’s interesting is that this proverb says “perish despite being strong,” not “perish because of being weak.” Destruction from weakness is easy to understand.
But destruction from strength strikes at humanity’s essential blind spot. When people gain power, they mistakenly think they’re invincible and lose sight of their limits.
Victory creates hunger for more victory. Eventually this becomes uncontrollable desire that eats away at you from inside.
Ancient people saw through this dangerous mechanism. They understood the paradoxical wisdom that power shows its true value not in being used, but in being restrained.
The strongest must be the most humble. This contradictory teaching is the essential wisdom for survival that human society has learned through long history.
Having power is less important than having the courage not to use it. This proverb quietly tells us that this is far more difficult and far more important.
When AI Hears This
When you view war through the physics of entropy, a surprisingly clear destruction mechanism appears. Think of a nation as one ordered system.
In peacetime, “order” is maintained through taxation, laws, infrastructure, and education. But when war begins, enormous energy gets pumped into this system.
Mobilizing soldiers, manufacturing weapons, securing supply lines—these activities seem to demonstrate national power. But actually, they all work to break order apart.
According to the second law of thermodynamics, entropy—or disorder—always increases in an isolated system. A nation at war is exactly in this state.
For example, turning farmers into soldiers reduces food production. Mobilizing craftsmen breaks the chain of skill transmission. Infrastructure gets destroyed, intellectuals are lost, economic circulation is cut off.
Win or lose, the longer you maintain the high-energy state of war, the more irreversibly the precise order called a nation crumbles.
What’s interesting is that this collapse becomes more fatal for larger nations. The more complex and highly organized a system is, the more it costs to restore balance once disrupted.
The Roman Empire and Yuan Dynasty both rapidly declined from the peak of their military success. Continuous warfare made it impossible to maintain organizational complexity, leading to collapse through increasing entropy.
Ancient wisdom saw through this physical law through experience.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches you about the right way to use power. When you gain an advantageous position at work, or when your knowledge and experience surpass others, how will you use that power?
If you use it to defeat others, you might gain temporary victory. But if you repeat this, you’ll lose trust from those around you, lose collaborators, and eventually become isolated.
True strength lies in self-control—the ability to restrain your power even when you have it. You have the knowledge to win an argument, but you show consideration to save the other person’s face.
You have the ability to win in competition, but you choose the path of coexistence and mutual prosperity. Such mature judgment brings long-term success.
Arguments on social media, competition at work, small daily conflicts—modern society overflows with opportunities for “battle.” But you don’t need to respond to every battle.
Rather, the courage not to fight, the generosity to yield, and the wisdom to reconcile are the keys to protecting yourself and building rich human relationships.
Power isn’t for wielding—it’s for storing to protect what matters. If you think this way, your life should become more peaceful and more abundant.
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