Sun Tzu

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Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu (pronounced SOON-dzi, translated to "Master Sun"; c. 400–320 BCE), also called Sun Wu , is traditionally believed to be the author of The Art of War
The Art of War

The Art of War is a China military science treatise that was written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare, it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategy and Military tactics of its time....
, sometimes called the Sun Tzu, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy

Military strategy

Military strategy is a policy implemented by military organizations to pursue desired Strategic goal s. Derived from the Greek language strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops....
considered to be a prime example of Taoist

Taoism

Taoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions have influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread to the West....
strategy. Sun has had a significant impact on Chinese and Asian history and culture

Culture of Asia

Discussion

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Quotations

A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.

A skilled commander seeks victory from the situation and does not demand it of his subordinates.

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.

And therefore those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him.

Being unconquerable lies with yourself; being conquerable lies with your enemy

Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.

Encyclopedia

Military strategy

Taoism

Culture of Asia

The culture of Asia is the artificial aggregate of the cultural heritage of many Nationality, society, religions, and ethnic groups in the region, traditionally called a continent from a Western-centric perspective, of Asia....
, both as an author of the Art of War and as a legendary figure. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Sun's The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in Western society, and his work has continued to influence both Asian and Western culture and politics.

Historians have questioned whether or not Sun was an authentic historical figure. Traditional accounts place him in the Spring and Autumn Period

Spring and Autumn Period

The Spring and Autumn Period was a period in Chinese history, which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty . Its name comes from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 BC and 481 BC, which tradition associates with Confucius....
of China (722–481 BCE) as a heroic general of the King of Wu

King Helü of Wu

King Hel? of the Wu , a state in ancient China, was initially known as Prince Guang Zung Fu . He reigned towards the end of the Spring and Autumn Period....
who lived c. 544—496 BCE. Scholars accepting his historicity place his writing of The Art of War in the Warring States Period

Warring States Period

The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, covers the period from 476 BCE to the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE....
(476–221 BCE), based on the descriptions of warfare in the text. Traditional accounts state that his descendant, Sun Bin

Sun Bin

Sun Bin was a military strategist who lived during the Warring States Period in ancient China. Born in Qi , he wrote his own military treatise, the Sun Bin Bing Fa, that Yinqueshan Han Slips after being lost for almost 2000 years....
, also wrote a master treatise on military tactics.

Life

Historians have questioned whether or not Sun was a real historical figure. According to traditional sources, such as the 2nd century BCE biography written by Sima Qian

Sima Qian

Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography because of his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , an overview of the history of China covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Wu of Han China ....
, Sun was born in c. 400 BCE in Qi

Qi (state)

Qi was a powerful state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Period of the Warring States. Its capital was Linzi, which is part of the present city of Zibo in Shandong Province....
during the Spring and Autumn Period

Spring and Autumn Period

Wu (state)

Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. The state of Wu straddled the mouth of the Yangtze River east of the State of Chu....
, Helü

King Helü of Wu

King Hel? of the Wu , a state in ancient China, was initially known as Prince Guang Zung Fu . He reigned towards the end of the Spring and Autumn Period....
. His victories then inspired him to write The Art of War. Historians place the writing of The Art of War in the Warring States Period

Warring States Period

The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, covers the period from 476 BCE to the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty in 221 BCE....
(476–221 BCE), based on its description of warfare. The period was a time of constant war between seven nations (Zhao

Zhao (state)

Zhao was a China state during the Warring States Period. Zhao was a significant state in the period, along with six others. At the beginning of the Warring States Period, the state of Zhao was one of the weakest states but gained strength during the reign of King Wuling of Zhao....
, Qi, Qin

Qin (state)

Q?n or Ch'in , was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Periods of China. It eventually grew to dominate the country and unite it in 221 BC, after which it is referred to as the Qin Dynasty....
, Chu

Chu (state)

Chu was a monarchy in what is now central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States Period . Its ruling house had the Chinese surname mi , and clan name xiong , and originally was of the noble rank of Chinese nobility#Princehood and Peerage, roughly comparable to a viscount....
, Han

Han (state)

Han was a monarchy during the Warring States Period in China. Not to be confused with South Korea which shares the same name.Its territory directly blocked the passage of the state of Qin into the North China Plain, thus becoming a frequent target of Qin's military operations....
, Wei

Wei (state)

The Wei was a state during the Warring States Period in China. Its territory lay between the states of Qin and Qi and included modern areas in Henan, Hebei and Shanxi and Shandong....
and Yan

Yan (state)

Yan was a state during the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods in China. Its capital was Ji .During the first years of the Zhou Dynasty, Yan was located near the Yellow River, but after the failed revolt led by the leaders of the Shang Dynasty, the fiefdom was relocated further north in what is now Hebei Province t...
) seeking to control all of China. He is thought to have died in c. 320 BCE.

The king of Wu tested Sun's skills by commanding him to train a harem

Harem

Harem refers to the sphere of women in a usually polygyny household and their quarters which is enclosed and forbidden to men. It originated in the Near East and came to the Western world via the Ottoman Empire....
of 360 concubines into soldiers. Sun divided them into two companies, appointing the two concubines most favored by the king as the company commanders. When Sun first ordered the concubines to face right, they giggled. In response, Sun said that the general, in this case himself, was responsible for ensuring that soldiers understood the commands given to them. Then, he reiterated the command, and again the concubines giggled. Sun then ordered the execution of the king's two favored concubines, to the king's protests. He explained that if the general's soldiers understood their commands but did not obey, it was the fault of the officers. Sun also said that once a general was appointed, it was their duty to carry out their mission, even if the king protested. After both concubines were killed, new officers were chosen to replace them. Afterward, both companies performed their maneuvers flawlessly. Sima's biography claims that Sun later proved on the battlefield that his theories were effective, that he had a successful military career, and that he wrote The Art of War based on his tested expertise. His descendant, Sun Bin

Sun Bin

The Art of War

The Art of War is attributed to Sun, and it was originally called the Sun Tzu Ping Fa (Pinyin

Pinyin

Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu is the Chinese Language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"....
: Sunzi Bingfa), or simply the Sun Tzu. It presents a philosophy of war

Philosophy of war

The philosophy of war examines war beyond the typical questions of weapon and Military Strategy, inquiring into such things as the meaning and etiology of war, the relationship between war and human nature, and the ethics of war....
for managing conflicts and winning battles. Contrary to popular belief, it contains not only the writings of the original author, but also commentary and clarifications from later military philosophers, such as Li Quan and Du Mu

Du Mu

Du Mu was a leading List of Chinese language poets of the late Tang Dynasty. His courtesy name was Muzhi , and sobriquet Fanchuan ....
. It is accepted as a masterpiece on strategy and often referenced by generals and theorists throughout history. Of the texts written before the unification of China

Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty was preceded by the feudal Zhou Dynasty and followed by the Han Dynasty in China. The unification of China in 221 BCE under the Qin Shi Huang marked the beginning of Imperial China, a period which lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912 CE....
in the 2nd century BCE, six major works survived, including The Art of War. During the Song Dynasty

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling Chinese dynasty in China between 960–1279 AD; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty....
in the early 1st millenium CE, the six works were combined with a Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an Dynasties in Chinese history preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire....
text into a collection called the Seven Military Classics

Seven Military Classics

The Seven Military Classics of China were seven important military texts of ancient China which included Sun-tzu's The Art of War. The texts were canonized under this name during the 11th century AD, and from the Song Dynasty onwards were included in most military encyclopedias....
. As a central part of that compilation, The Art of War formed the foundations of orthodox military theory in China. Illustrating this point, the book required reading to pass the tests needed for imperial appointment to military positions.

In the book, Sun uses language that may be unusual in a Western text on warfare and strategy. For example, the 11th chapter states that a leader must be "serene and inscrutable" and capable of comprehending "unfathomable plans". The text contains similar remarks that have confused Western readers. The meaning of such statements are clearer when interpreted in the context of Taoist

Taoism

Taoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions have influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread to the West....
thought and practice. Sun viewed the ideal general as an enlightened

Enlightenment (concept)

Enlightenment broadly means wisdom or understanding enabling clarity of perception. However, the English language word covers two concepts which can be quite distinct: religion or spiritual enlightenment and secular or intellectual enlightenment....
Taoist master, which has led to The Art of War being considered a prime example of Taoist strategy. The Art of War is distinguished from similar Western works, such as Prussia

Prussia

Prussia was, most recently, a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. This state had for centuries substantial influence on Germany and European history....
n general Carl von Clausewitz

Carl von Clausewitz

Carl Philipp Gottlieb von Clausewitz was a Prussian soldier, military historian and military theorist. He is most famous for his military treatise On War, translated into English as On War....
's On War
On War

Vom Kriege is a book on war and military strategy by Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, written mostly after the Napoleonic wars, between 1816 and 1830, and published posthumously by his wife in 1832....
, by this spiritual dimension. Awareness of the Taoist viewpoint in The Art of War is essential to understanding its intended meaning. The book is not only popular among military theorists, but it has also become increasingly popular among political leaders and those in business management. Despite its title, The Art of War addresses strategy in a broad fashion, touching upon public administration

Public administration

Public administration can be broadly described as the development, implementation and study of branches of government public policy. The pursuit of the public good by enhancing civil society and social justice is the ultimate goal of the field....
and planning. The text outlines theories of battle but also advocates diplomacy

Diplomacy

Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states. It usually refers to international diplomacy, the conduct of international relations through the intercession of professional diplomats with regard to issues of peace-making, trade, war, economics and culture....
and cultivating relationships with other nations as essential to the health of a state.

In the early 1970s, scholars uncovered a collection of ancient texts written on unusually well-preserved bamboo slips

Yinqueshan Han Slips

The Yinqueshan Han Slips are ancient Chinese writing tablets, made of bamboo strips and were discovered in 1972. The tablets contain many important writings that were not previously known, and important copies of existing work....
. Among them were The Art of War and Sun Bin's Military Methods. Although Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the family known as the Liu clan who had peasant origins....
bibliographies noted the latter publication as extant and written by a descendant of Sun, it has since been lost. The finding of Sun Bin's work was considered to be extremely important, because of Sun Bin's relationship to Sun, and the work's illustration of military thought in late Chinese antiquity. The discovery as a whole expanded the total known Chinese military works by hundreds. However, Sun Bin's treatise is the only known additional text surviving from the ancient period or bearing a close association with Sun Tzu.

Historicity

Scholars have expressed doubt in Sun's historicity and the traditional dating of The Art of War. The skepticism is fueled by factors that include historical inaccuracies and anachronisms in the text, as well as the unlikelihood of the execution of the king's favorite concubines. Increasing skepticism, which sometimes cause scholars to completely deny the existence of a historical figure named Sun Wu (Sun Tzu), has lead to acrimonious debate between skeptics and traditionalists, especially in China. Attribution of The Art of Wars authorship varies among scholars, and have included people and movements including Sun; Chu scholar Wu Zixu

Wu Zixu

Wu Zixu , also known as Wu Yun , is the most famous ancestor of people with the surname of Wu, . All branches of the Wu clans claim him as their "first ancestor"....
; an unknown author; a school of thought in Qi or Wu; and Sun Bin.

Traditionalists attribute the authorship of The Art of War to the historical figure Sun Wu, who is chronicled in the Records of the Grand Historian
Records of the Grand Historian

The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English language by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted China history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time....
and the Spring and Autumn Annals
Spring and Autumn Annals

The Spring and Autumn Annals is the official chronicle of the State of Lu covering the period from 720s BC to 481 BCE. It is the earliest surviving Chinese historical text to be arranged on annals principles....
. He was reputedly active in the early 6th century BCE, beginning c. 512 BCE. The appearance of features from The Art of War in other historical texts is considered to be proof of his historicity and authorship. Certain strategic concepts, such as terrain classification, are attributed to Sun Tzu. Their use in other works, such as by the compilers of The Methods of the Sima, is considered proof of Sun Tzu's historical priority.

Scholars that identify issues with the traditionalist view point to anachronisms in The Art of War that include terms, technology, philosophical ideas, events, and military techniques. There is a disparity between the large scale wars and sophisticated techniques detailed in the text, and the more primitive small scale battles that predominated the 6th century BCE. There is also a lack of early contemporary evidence supporting the centuries-later accounts of Sun. For example, there is no corroborating support for his role in the wars between Wu and Yue

Yue (state)

Yue was a state in China which existed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, in the modern province of Zhejiang. During the Spring and Autumn Period, its capital was in Guiji , near the modern city of Shaoxing....
in the Zuo Zhuan
Zuo Zhuan

The Zuo Zhuan , translated as the Chronicle of Zuo or the Commentary of Zuo, is the earliest Chinese work of narrative history and covers the period from 722 BCE to 468 BCE....
, which is considered the authoritative record of the period. Regardless of Sun's historicity and the actual authorship of The Art of War, the figure of Sun and his traditionally attributed work have been influential.

Legacy

Sun's The Art of War has influenced many notable figures. Traditional histories recount that the first emperor of a unified China, Qin Shi Huang

Qin Shi Huang

Qin Shi Huang , personal name Ying Zheng , was king of the Chinese Qin from 246 BCE to 221 BCE during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BCE....
, considered the book invaluable in ending the Age of Warring States. Japan was introduced to The Art of War c. 760 CE, and the book quickly became popular among Japan's generals. The publication also significantly influenced the unification of Japan. Mastery of its teachings was considered a mark of respect among the samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial society Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character ? was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau....
, and its teachings were both exhorted and exemplified by influential samurai such as Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga

was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of History of Japan. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo with land holdings in Owari province....
, Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a Sengoku period daimyo who unified Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, after Hideyoshi's castle....
, and Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Japanese name|Tokugawa}} was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868....
. Historians popularly recount how French emperor Napoleon studied Sun's military writings and used them to successfully wage war against the rest of Europe. The emperor's disregard for central principles such as attentiveness to temporal conditions is largely credited for his eventual defeat in Russia. Admiral of the Fleet

Admiral of the Fleet

An Admiral of the Fleet or Fleet Admiral is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments....
Togo Heihachiro

Togo Heihachiro

Admiral of the Fleet Marquis , Order of Merit , Royal Victorian Order, was a Fleet Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and one of Japan's greatest naval heroes....
, who led Japan's forces to victory against Russia in the Russo-Japanese War

Russo-Japanese War

The Russo-Japanese War or the Manchurian Campaign in some English sources, was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialism ambitions of the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over Manchuria and Korea....
, was a famous disciple of The Art of Wars teachings.

Communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong was a China military and politics dictator. Mao led the Communist Party of China to victory against the Kuomintang in the Chinese Civil War, and was the leader of the People?s Republic of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976....
partially credited his defeat of Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek , Order of the Bath , served as Generalissimo of the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1948. He was sometimes referred to simply as "the Generalissimo"....
and the Kuomintang

Kuomintang

The Kuomintang of China , also often translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is the founding and the ruling party of the Republic of China ....
in 1949 to The Art of War. The work strongly influenced Mao's writings about guerrilla warfare

Guerrilla warfare

Guerrilla warfare is the Irregular warfare warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile Military tactics to combat a larger and less mobile formal army....
, which further influenced communist insurgencies around the world. During the Gulf War

Gulf War

"Persian Gulf War" and "First Gulf War" redirect here. For other uses, see Persian Gulf War .The Persian Gulf War was a United Nations-authorized military conflict between Iraq and a Coalition of Gulf War from 34 nations commissioned with expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait after Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait of Kuwait in August 1990....
in the 1990s, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.

Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.

General officer H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. is a retired United States Army General officer who, while he served as Commander of U.S. Central Command, was commander of the Coalition Forces in the Gulf War of 1991....
practiced Sun's principles of deception, speed, and attacking the enemy's weakness. Mark McNeilly writes in Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare that a modern interpretation of Sun and his importance throughout Chinese history is critical in understanding China's push to becoming a superpower in the 21st century. Modern Chinese scholars explicitly rely on historical strategic lessons and The Art of War in developing their theories, seeing a direct relationship between their modern struggles and those of China in Sun's time. There is a great perceived value in Sun's teachings and other traditional Chinese writers, which are used regularly in developing the strategies of the Chinese state and its leaders.

External links

at the Institute for National Strategic Studies of National Defense University
National Defense University

The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy....
at Sonshi