The Art of War (Including: The Art of Subtle Strategy)

Author: Liu Guojian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Art of War, also known as Sunzi, was written by Sun Wu. According to the Biography of Sun Wu in the Records of the Grand Historian, "Sun Wu was a native of Qi. He presented his military strategies to King Hui of Wu. Hui said, 'Your thirteen chapters, I have read entirely.'" This shows that the Thirteen Chapters of military strategy were already largely complete when Sun Wu sought an audience with the king. King Hui recognized his talent and appointed Sun Wu as a general. Under his command, Wu won five battles in a row, conquered the capital of Chu, and intimidated the states of Qi and Jin to the north. Sun Wu's brilliance brought Wu to prominence among the feudal lords. The glorious achievements of Wu and its rise in status among the states were largely due to Sun Wu's planning and leadership. Sima Qian earnestly stated, "Sun Wu played a significant role in this." Thus, as a great military strategist, Sun Wu was both a military theorist and a practitioner. Based on these historical accounts, Sun Wu lived around the same time as Confucius (551–479 BC), during the late Spring and Autumn Period, a time of frequent warfare and great social upheaval. The Art of War emerged in this historical context.
After its completion, The Art of War quickly gained widespread recognition. Sima Qian wrote the first biography of Sun Wu, though it lacks detailed accounts of his life, it provides specific descriptions of major battles Sun Wu participated in. Particularly vivid and convincing is the account of how Sun Wu gained the trust of King Hui. During the Warring States period, many discussed Sun Wu's deeds, and later generations frequently cited accounts from that era. For over a thousand years, though opinions on The Art of War have varied, no one has doubted the existence of Sun Wu or his authorship of the book. However, since the Tang and Song dynasties, doubts have been raised about Sun Wu and his work, with scholars like Huang Yunmei and Qian Mu even arguing that both the person and the book were forgeries by later generations.
The debate raged until 1972, when a cache of bamboo slips was unearthed from Tomb No. 1 at Yinque Mountain in Linyi, Shandong. The inscriptions on the slips record King Hui of Wu asking Sun Wu about military strategy and King Wei of Qi asking Sun Bin about it. These records perfectly align with the Records of the Grand Historian's accounts of Sun Wu and Sun Bin, confirming that both figures were real and had their own military treatises. These slips settled the centuries-old debate and became a celebrated moment in academic history.
Though The Art of War is less than 6,000 words, it is profound and endlessly fascinating. Here are a few key points from the book to guide beginners.