science

Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention

Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention rather than just read about it. In short: The Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention (Chinese: 三大纪律八项注意; pinyin: Sān dà jìlǜ bā xiàng zhùyì) is a military doctrine that was issued in 1928 by Mao Zedong and his associates to the Chinese Red Army during the Chinese Civil War. The contents vary slightly in different versions.

Key takeaways

Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention (Chinese: 三大纪律八项注意; pinyin: Sān dà jìlǜ bā xiàng zhùyì) is a military doctrine that was issued in 1928 by Mao Zedong and his associates to the Chinese Red Army during the Chinese Civil War. The contents vary slightly in different versions. One of the major distinctions of the doctrine was its respect for the civilians during wartime. The following version is obtained from Stephen Uhalley in 1975.

Statement The three rules enjoined

prompt obedience to orders, no confiscation of people's property, prompt delivery directly to authorities of all items confiscated from enemy. The eight points were:

Be polite when speaking Be honest when buying and selling Return all borrowed articles Pay compensation for everything damaged Do not hit or swear at others Do not damage crops Do not harass women Do not mistreat prisoners

Alternate An alternative, more literal translation into English was presented by the People's Daily. The Three Main Rules of Discipline:

Obey orders in all your actions. (一切行动听指挥) Do not take a single needle or piece of thread from the masses. (不拿群众一针一线) Turn in everything captured. (一切缴获要归公) The Eight Points for Attention:

Speak politely. (说话和气) Pay fairly for what you buy. (买卖公平) Return everything you borrow. (借东西要还) Pay for anything you damage. (损坏东西要赔) Do not hit or swear at people. (不打人骂人) Do not damage crops. (不损坏庄稼) Do not take liberties with women. (不调戏妇女) Do not ill-treat captives. (不虐待俘虏)

History These injunctions were usually complied with and, according to historian Stephen Uhalley, came to make the Chinese Red Army a distinctive army in China and an exceptionally popular one. The attitude of the Three Rules and the Eight Points heavily contrasted with the Nationalist Kuomintang armies led by Chiang Kai-shek, who were fighting the Chinese Red Army in the Chinese Civil War. For example, Nationalist armies tended to board in civilian houses without permission, tended to be rude and disrespectful towards civilians, or sometimes even confiscated material from the peasants in order to gain supplies. The Chinese Red Army however, under the Three Points of Discipline and Eight Points of Attention requested permission to take supplies and to board at houses instead, and any confiscation of peasant property were exceptions and violators were promptly punished. For example, Red Army soldiers would be shot on the spot if they were found looting peasant homes. Many impressed villagers gave supplies and shelter to the Red Army voluntarily, greatly helping their war efforts. Eventually, many villagers and their sons and daughters joined the Red Army, providing the Red Army with sufficient manpower to combat the Japanese and Kuomintang. It was common after a confiscation of items from warlords that the items would be redistributed among the people, in addition to supplying the Chinese Red Army. As a result, the peasants tended to spread disinformation to the Kuomintang when they arrived to pursue the Chinese Red Army, while showing the Chinese Red Army hospitality whenever they arrived at villages. This invariably resulted in attrition of the Kuomintang forces. This contrasting doctrine in comparison with the Kuomintang inevitably became one of the major reasons for winning most of the Chinese people's support, and thus the victory of the Chinese Red Army over the Kuomintang in 1949. The people's support for the Red Army proved to be more important than the raw manpower that Kuomintang initially enjoyed.

See also Military anthem of China Double Supports Common Regulations of the People's Liberation Army Winning hearts and minds

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention

In research: Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cold War history of China, Military doctrines, Military of China, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention in simple terms?

Why does Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention.