The peculiarities of the stratagem theory in the "Books of wisdom" of Ming dynasty

The article deals with analysis of the «Books of Wisdom». Modern collections of subject stories about wisdom, ingenuity and perfidy are not the inventions of our time. The prototypes of books most close to today’s publications were created during the Ming dynasty. These works of literature describe the type of stratagem thinking more complicated than being demonstrated by some modern authors. The main message of the Ming compilers’ «Books of Wisdom» is to acknowledge the major role of intelligence and wits in social life. The «Books of Wisdom» are organized in the form of classification. The basic features of stratagem thinking reflected in these works are practicalness, analysis of historical and social context, and process vision of social reality. In order to display of wisdom, the Ming’s authors also used quantitative, ethical and aesthetical criteria. One essential distinction of the Ming authors’ position in comparison with predecessors’ was universalism. The attention to gender factor could be also mentioned, because a special place in the «Bookone s of Wisdom» occupies description of women’s wits and perfidy. During the ruling of Ming Dynasty stratagem thinking took the same shape and structure that reproduce now in the modern publications of this kind.