『史記』〈蘇秦 · 張儀列傳〉으로 본 蘇秦 · 張儀의 설득 방법 初探

Abstract

Two of the most prominent political strategists during the period of Warring States, Suqin and Zhangyi were masters of persuasion. Based on “The Biography of Suqin” and “The Biography of Zhangyi,” both from The Historical Records, this paper examines the ways in which the two strategists practiced their art of persuasion. First, they earned the trust of their masters by offering meticulous accounts and evaluations of the political situations of the vassal states. Furthermore, they strengthened their offering by giving a detailed simulation of future wars, Second, they used universal human emotions (such as pride, shame, fear and hope) to stir up those feelings in their masters that would make them receptive to their proposals. Lastly, the two strategists repeatedly alternate the measure of provocation and repression in order to goad their masters into their ideas. To make their strategies of persuasion work, Suqin and Zhangyi accumulated a huge amount of objective information concerning the vassal states, catalogued it and arranged it for the ready use.