In the modern tech age, if someone pushes the wrong button the world could come to an end. In fact this actually nearly happened in 1983, when Russian Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov was emphatically told by a computer that US nukes were flying his way. Fortunately he elected not to retaliate against what turned out to be sunspots and a malfunction, but that, as they say, is a story for another day. Still, we can be grateful that he didn't set off another war, or 战争 (zhànzhēng).
High-tech weapons, schemes, geopolitical, and social economic factors all come into play in modern conflicts, making them a dangerous business. By comparison, ancient wars seemed simple and almost innocent. Just look at the 战 character. In its traditional form 戰, the left represents its pronunciation and 戈 (gē) on the right side represents the shape of a weapon, a dagger with a long shaft. An alternative explanation of its origin states that the left side resembles a beast or 兽 (shòu) and together, the character means "to fight beasts with a weapon".
Just to give you an idea how straightforward war used to be, there was even war etiquettesome 3,000 years ago: you should send your enemy an invitation for combat and show up at the mutually agreed upon time and place, list all your troops, and conduct a religious ceremony before the fight commences. These were civilized attempts at mass-killing. You were not to attack your enemy state after their leaders died or were devastated by natural disasters, or your victory would be considered unjustified and dishonorable.
It was later during the Spring and Autumn period (770 BCE – 476 BCE) that war became an art of trickery and deceit, when different states frequently clashed and contested for supremacy. The military mastermind Sun Tzu was a product of this time and famously stated: "All warfare is based on deception." (兵者,诡道也 .Bīng zhě, guǐ dào yě.)
