Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 67

System of Drills and Formations

Formations, Part 16

Diagram of the Primordial Chaos Formation Explanation original: 混元 (Hunyuan); a Daoist concept referring to the undifferentiated state of the universe before creation. In a military context, this often suggests a fluid, circular formation with no fixed "front" or "back."

Diagram of the Round Heaven and Square Earth Formation Explanation original: 天圓地方 (Tianyuan Difang); reflects the traditional Chinese cosmological belief that the heavens are circular and the earth is square. This formation likely coordinates circular outer ranks with a square inner core.

Diagram of the Sky Full of Stars Formation original: 滿天星 (Mantian Xing); a tactical arrangement where troops are dispersed in small, scattered groups to confuse the enemy or provide flexible coverage over a large area.

Diagram of the Three Powers Swift Formation Explanation original: 三才 (Sancai); refers to the triad of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. This formation typically organizes troops into three interconnected units for rapid response.

Diagram of the Single-Line Formation original: 一字陣 (Yizi Zhen); literally "the character for 'one' formation." It describes a long, straight horizontal line used to maximize frontage and prevent flanking.