The Art of War

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The Art of War is a Chinese military treatise 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 strategies and tactics of its time.

The Art of War is one of the oldest books on military strategy in the world. It is also one of the most famous studies of strategy and has had a huge influence on Eastern and Western military planning, business tactics, and beyond. First translated into a European language in 1782 by French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, and had possibly influenced Napoleon,^[1] and even the planning of Operation Desert Storm.^[2][3] Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong, Vo Nguyen Giap, and General Douglas MacArthur have claimed to have drawn inspiration from the work.

The Art of War has also been applied, with much success, to business and managerial strategies.^[4][5]

Contents 1 History 2 The 13 chapters 3 Annotations 4 Quotations 5 Military applications 6 Applicability outside the military 7 Related material 8 Depiction in media 8.1 Print 8.2 Film 8.3 Television 8.4 Videogames 8.5 Music 9 Sources and translations 10 See also 11 Notes 12 External links

[edit] History

Based on the content, the book was finished between Zhuan Zhu's assassination of King Liao of Wu (515 BC) and Wu Zixu's recommendation to King Helü of Wu (512 BC) in China.

It was believed by some the long-lost Sun Bin Bing Fa, or Sun Bin's The Art of War cited in the Book of Han, was actually Sun Tzu's The Art of War, but in April 1972, archaeologists discovered a tomb in Linyi County, Shandong Province, containing several fragments of important scrolls buried during the Han Dynasty. Among the scrolls were a copy of the Sun Bin Bing Fa and a copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War, thus removing any doubt.^[6]

Originally the work was entitled Sunzi (also transliterated as Sun tzu). Much later, as the tradition of naming works for their author became less common the work became known as Sunzi bingfa (also seen as Sun tzu ping fa) which translates roughly as Master Sun's principles for using forces.^[7] When Amiot made the first European language translation he called it Art Militaire des Chinois from which the English The Art of War is derived, perhaps in accord with works of Clauswitz (Vom Kriege, On War) and Machiavelli (Dell'arte della guerra, The Art of War).^[8]

[edit] The 13 chapters

Chapter titles from Lionel Giles' 1910 translation

• I. Laying Plans
• II. Waging War
• III. Attack by Stratagem
• IV. Tactical Dispositions
• V. Energy
• VI. Weak Points and Strong
• VII. Maneuvering
• VIII. Variation in Tactics
• IX. The Army On The March
• X. Terrain
• XI. The Nine Situations
• XII. The Attack By Fire
• XIII. The Use of Spies

Chapter titles from Chow-Hou Wee's 2003 translation

• I. Detail Assessment and Planning (Chinese: 始計)
• II. Waging War (Chinese: 作戰)
• III. Strategic Attack (Chinese: 謀攻)
• IV. Disposition of the Army (Chinese: 軍行)
• V. Forces (Chinese: 兵勢)
• VI. Weaknesses and Strengths (Chinese: 虛實)
• VII. Military Manoeuvres (Chinese: 軍爭)
• VIII. Variations and Adaptability (Chinese: 九變)
• IX. Movement and Development of Troops (Chinese: 行軍)
• X. Terrain (Chinese: 地形)
• XI. The Nine Battlegrounds (Chinese: 九地)
• XII. Attacking with Fire (Chinese: 火攻)
• XIII. Intelligence and Espionage (Chinese: 用間)

Read full text The Art of War By: Sun Tzu _{translated by Lionel Giles}^[9]

[edit] Annotations

Before the bamboo scroll version was discovered by archaeologists in April 1972, the most cited version of The Art of War was the Annotation of Sun Tzu's Strategies by Cao Cao, the founder of Cao Wei Kingdom. In the preface, he wrote that previous annotations were not focused on the essential ideas. Other annotations cited in official history books include Shen You (176-204)'s Sun Tzu's Military Strategy, Jia Xu's Copy of Sun Tzu's Military Strategy, Cao Cao and Wang Ling (a nephew of Wang Yun)'s Sun Tzu's Military Strategy.

The Book of Sui documented seven books named after Sun Tzu. An annotation by Du Mu also includes Cao Cao's annotation. Li Jing's The Art of War is said to be a revision of Sun Tzu's strategies. Annotations by Cao Cao, Du Mu and Li Quan were translated into Tangut language before 1040 AD.

After the movable type printer was invented, The Art of War (with Cao Cao's annotations) was published as a military text book, known as Seven Military Classics with six other strategy books. A book named Ten Schools of The Art of War Annotations was published before 1161 AD.

As a required reading military textbook since the Song Dynasty, Seven Military Classics (武經七書) has many annotations. More than 30 differently annotated versions of this book exist today.

Vernacular Chinese became increasingly popular in the late 1920s. Annotations in Vernacular Chinese began to appear after this time. Some of these works were translated from other languages, such as Japanese.

[edit] Quotations

Verses from the book occur in modern daily Chinese idioms and phrases, such as the last verse of Chapter 3:

故曰：知彼知己，百戰不殆；不知彼而知己，一勝一負；不知彼，不知己，每戰必敗

So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will win hundred times in hundred battles. If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you win one and lose the next. If you do not know yourself or your enemy, you will always lose.

This has been more tersely interpreted and condensed into the modern proverb:

知己知彼, 百戰百勝

If you know both yourself and your enemy, you will come out of one hundred battles with one hundred victories.

Similar verses have also been borrowed -- in a manner construing skillfulness as victory "without fighting" -- for example:

（是故）百戰百勝，非善之善者也；不戰而屈人之兵，善之善者也

Therefore One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful. Seizing the enemy without fighting is the most skillful.

War is of vital importance to the state and should not be engaged carelessly

[edit] Military applications

In many East Asian countries, The Art of War was part of the syllabus for potential candidates of military service examinations. Various translations are available.

During the Sengoku era in Japan, a Samurai named Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) is said to have become almost invincible in all battles without relying on guns, because he studied The Art of War^{[citation needed]}. The book even gave him the inspiration for his famous battle standard "Fūrinkazan" (Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain), meaning fast as wind, silent as forest, ferocious as fire and immovable as mountain.^[10]

During the Vietnam War, some Vietcong officers studied The Art of War , and reportedly could recite entire passages from memory.

[edit] Applicability outside the military

Since at least the 1980s, The Art of War has been applied to fields well outside the military. Much of the text is about how to fight wars without actually having to do battle: it gives tips on how to outsmart one's opponent so that physical battle is not necessary. As such, it has found application as a training guide for many competitive endeavors that do not involve actual combat.

The book has gained popularity in corporate culture; there have been a variety of business books written applying its lessons to "office politics" and corporate strategy. Many Japanese companies make the book required reading for their key executives. The book is also popular among Western business management, who have turned to it for inspiration and advice on how to succeed in competitive business situations.

It has also crept its way into sport: Australian cricket coach John Buchanan handed out excerpts from the book to his players before a match against England in 2001, and the book is allegedly a favorite of University of South Carolina football head coach Steve Spurrier.

Former Brazilian football coach, and current coach of the Portuguese national football team Luiz Felipe Scolari uses the book to plot his football strategy. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup he gave each of his players copies. In the recent 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany he used the book to plan his team's win against England.^[11]

It has found use in political campaigning as well; Republican election strategist Lee Atwater claimed he travelled everywhere with it.^[12]

Some have also interpreted The Art of War as providing methods for developing social strategies, such as social relationships, maintaining romantic relationships, and seduction. The book stresses subtlety and always making it appear like one is trying to achieve something other than one's actual intention.

The use of individual quotations from the book as a source of fortune cookie-like proverbs and not seeing the general coherence of the text has been criticized by many scholars of Chinese history.

[edit] Related material

Sun Tzu is attributed with having a grandson Sun Bin who wrote another treatise on military strategy often called "The Lost Art of War" or "The Art of Warfare". Sun Bin or Sun Pin as he is sometimes called is also known as Sun Tzu II. The following are some published texts in this area:

• Sun Tzu II translated by Thomas Cleary (1996). The Lost Art of War. Harper Collins Publisher (Under HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 0-06-251361-3. This book by Thomas Cleary is a translation of the sequel to Sun Tzu's classic strategic manual.

• Sun Pin translated by Ralph D. Sawyer (1995). Military Methods of the Art of War. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-7607-0650-6. This book by Ralph Sawyer is a translation of work written by the purported great-grandson of Sun Tzu in the 4th Century.

• Mastering the Art of War - Memoirs and notes by famous Chinese military strategists Zhuge Liang and Liu Ji. This book details Zhuge and Liu's personal opinions and comments regarding Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Translated by Thomas Cleary.

[edit] Depiction in media

"The Art of War" has been frequently mentioned in popular media such as film and television. Below are a few examples of this.

[edit] Print

• In G I Joe Special Missions # 7 and 8, a small team of Joes is sent to Tibet to retrieve a CIA agent who has gone rogue and is now leading Tibetan freedom fighters in their fight to expel Han Chinese troops. This rogue agent has a copy of The Art of War whose principals he applies. It is passed on to his successor when he dies.

[edit] Film

• In the 1987 film Wall Street, the main antagonist, Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas), says: "I don't throw darts at a board. I bet on sure things. Read Sun-tzu, The Art of War. Every battle is won before it is ever fought." His protegé, Bud (played by Charlie Sheen), comes back after reading the text and says: "All warfare is based on deception. If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight and if not: split and re-evaluate," to which Gekko smiles in approval.

• The 2000 Wesley Snipes film The Art of War was named after the book. Snipes is also seen (as a different character) reading the book in his 1992 movie Passenger 57.

• The protagonist, played by Forest Whitaker, in the 1999 film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai makes frequent reference to the text, as well as the Hagakure, upon which he bases his philosophy.

• A passage from the Art of War is recited in the James Bond film Die Another Day by Colonel Tan-Sun Moon and General Moon in the final scenes of the film. The book itself also appears during the fight between Miranda Frost and Jinx.

[edit] Television

• In the 2003 animated adaptation of the 'Teen Titans' comic book series, General Immortus quotes the text in the episode 'The Homecoming: Part 2', where he observes the Doom Patrol crossing a vast desert and calls to mind the verse "Strike when your enemy is at his weakest, when he is mired in self-doubt, and your victory will be assured." He also later remarks that Sun Tzu was "one of (his) best students".

• The Art of War is referenced multiple times as a tool for business strategy in Smallville

• It also figures prominently in the plot resolution of the 1987 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, The Last Outpost, wherein the last verse of Chapter 3 is rendered as "Know your enemy and know yourself and victory will always be yours."

• In the anime 'Grenadier - The Senshi of Smiles', Rushuna and her nation hold the policy of winning by dissolving an enemy's will to fight and thus avoiding combat altogether as the ultimate battle strategy.

• In The Sopranos, Dr. Melfi advises Tony Soprano to read The Art of War to help make him a better mafia boss.

• In the five-part GI Joe episode, "Arise Serpentor," one of the DNA's that must be retrieved by Cobra in order to genetically construct Serpentor is that of Sun Tzu.

[edit] Videogames

• Broderbund software published two games based on Sun Tzu's "Art of War". The first entitled "The Ancient Art of War" and the second "The Ancient Art of War At Sea". They were strategy, geography, and adventure simulation games. They ran on a number of computer platforms including Apple II (For the second title only), Macintosh, and DOS. The first game was written by Ronald G. Helms.

• In Sid Meier's Civilization computer game series, "Sun Tsu's Art of War" or "Military Academy" is one of the fictional World Wonders that can be created, giving the owner several temporary military advantages.

• In the Total War Series computer games, by The Creative Assembly - much of the AI in the earlier (and to some extent, later) games in the total war series were written based on Sun Tzu's stratagems in The Art of War. Passages from the book were also quoted in the Rome: Total War loading screens.

• The MMORPG Eternal Lands has a special day named after Sun Tzu, on which players receive more experience points for attack and defence.

[edit] Music

• Bone Thugz-N-Harmony released a double disc album entitled The Art of War with a guest appearance by the late Tupac Shakur
• 30 Seconds to Mars (an American Progressive-Rock band) quotes lines from the book at the end of their debut self-titled CD released 2002 by Virgin Records.

[edit] Sources and translations

• Sun Tzu translated by Dr Han Hiong Tan (2001). Sun Zi's The Art of War. H H Tan Medical P/L. ISBN 0-9580067-0-9. 
• Sun Tzu translated by Filiquarian Publishing (2006). The Art of War. Filiquarian Publishing. ISBN 1-59986-977-2. 
• Sun Tzu translated by the Denma translation group (2001). The Art of War: the Denma translation. Shambhala Classics. ISBN 1-57062-904-8. 
• Sun Tzu translated by Lionel Giles (2002). The Art of War. Deodand Publishing. ISBN 0-9578868-7-X.  Text link (reprint; Giles translated the book in 1910)
• Sun-Tzu translated by Roger Ames (1993). The Art of Warfare. Random House. ISBN 0-345-36239-X. , includes the Yin-ch'ueh-shan (Silver Sparrow Mountain) texts
• Sun Tzu edited by James Clavell (1983). The Art of War. Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-29216-3.  This edition was published as a tie-in with Clavell's Asian Saga; it is essentially a re-working of the Lionel Giles translation.
• Sun Tzu translated by Ralph D. Sawyer (1994). The Art of War. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 1-56619-297-8.  This translation tries to put The Art of War in its original context as a work of military strategy. It also includes a lengthy introduction and translations of some of the "bamboo strips" recovered from the shrine.
• Sun Tzu translated by John Minford (2002). The Art of War. Viking. ISBN 0-670-03156-9.  This translation contains two parts. The first part is a completely unadorned, “raw�?version of the core text. The second part is that same text with Chinese commentators as well as others.
• Sun Tzu translated by Yuan Shibing (1987). Sun Tzu's Art of War: The Modern Chinese Interpretation. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.. ISBN 0-8069-6638-6. This book is written by General Tao Hanzhang, a senior officer in the People's Liberation Army. He is a senior advisor at the Beijing Institute for International Strategic Studies.
• Sun Tzu translated by J.H. Huang (1993). The Art of War: The New Translation. Quill William Morrow. ISBN 0-688-12400-3. This text is not a new interpretation of same texts that other editions are based on. Mr. Huang writes a new text based on manuscripts recently discovered in Linyi, China that predates all previous texts by as much as 1000 years.
• Sun Tzu translated by Samuel B. Griffith (1963). The Art of War. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-501476-6. This book is written by Samuel B. Griffith, Brigadier General (retired), U.S. Marine Corps., with a foreward by Sir B. H. Liddell Hart. "Wu Ch'i's Art of War" in six chapters is appended.
• Sun Tzu translated by Donald G. Krause (1995). The Art of War For Executives. Berkely Publishing Group (Under Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-51902-5. This book written by Donald Krause is interpreted for today's business reader.
• Sun Tzu translated by Ralph D. Sawyer (1995). 100 Lessons In The Art of War. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0-7607-0998-X. This book by Ralph Sawyer is a culmination on various Chinese strategic texts.
• Sun Tzu translated by Stephen F. Kaufman (1996). The Art of War: The Definitive Interpretation of Sun Tzu's Classic Book of Strategy. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-3080-0.  Aimed mainly (but not exclusively) at the martial artist, Kaufman's rendition of Sun Tzu's work was written from the perspective of a Hanshi ("teacher of teachers").
• Sun Tzu (1988-05). The Art of Strategy, translated by R. L. Wing, Seattle, Washington: Main Street Books. ISBN 0-385-23784-7. 
• Sun Tzu (2003-01-14). The Art of War plus The Ancient Chinese Revealed, translated by Gary Gagliardi, 1st hardcover ed., second printing, Seattle, Washington: Clearbridge Publishing. ISBN 1-929194-19-6.  Winner of a 2003 Independent Publishers Book Award for Multicultural Nonfiction.[7]
• Sun Tzu translated by Prof. Chow-Hou WEE (2003). Sun Zi Art of War: An Illustrated Translation with Asian Perspectives and Insights. Pearson Education Asia Pte Ltd. ISBN 0-13-100137-X. 

[edit] See also

• Sun Tzu
• List of military writers
• Thirty-Six Strategies, another Chinese strategy book
• Philosophy of war
• On War

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• The Art of War translated by Lionel Giles (1910), available at Project Gutenberg.
• The Art of War Online English Version
• About Sun Tzu and the Art of War, in Chinese and English
• Sun Tzu The Art of War Translation by Sonshi with many readers' interpretations
• Sun Tzu The Art of War Modern translation by W. Lidwell, free PDF ebook
• Sun Tzu The Art of War Ebook Free Microsoft Reader version for download
• Sun Tzu the Art of War text (with recorded Mandarin speech), Denma translation
• Sun Tzu and Hollywood on how the appearance of the book in movies influenced the number of books sold
• The Art of War, audio edition Free mp3 downloads Narrated by Michael Scott of ThoughtAudio.com
• Sun Zi's The Art of War text translated by Dr Han Hiong Tan 2001