Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu (544–496 BC) was the author of The Art of War (Chinese: 兵法), an immensely influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy. He is also one of the earliest realism (foreign policy)|realists in international relations.

The name Sun Tzu ((孫子; pinyin, Sūnzǐ), meaning "Master Sun", is an honorific title bestowed upon Sun Wu (孫武; Sūn Wǔ), the author's actual name. The word Wu, meaning "martial" or "military", is the same as the word in "wushu|wu shu" or "martial art". Sun Wu also has a Chinese style name|courtesy name, Chang Qing (長卿; Cháng Qīng).

The Art of War is sometimes referred to by the name of its author, as "the Sun Tzu".

Historical references

The only surviving source on the life of Sun Tzu is the biography written in the 2nd century BC by the historian Sima Qian, who describes him as a general who lived in the state of Wu in the 6th century BC, and therefore a contemporary of one of the great Chinese thinkers of ancient times—Confucius. According to tradition, Sun Tzu was a member of the landless Chinese aristocracy, the shih, descendants of nobility who had lost their dukedoms during the consolidation of the Spring and Autumn Period. Unlike most shih, who were traveling academics, Sun Tzu worked as a mercenary. According to tradition, King Helu of Wu hired Sun Tzu as a general approximately 512 BC after Sun finished his military treatise, the The Art of War|Bing Fa (The Art of War). After his hiring, the kingdom of Wu, previously considered a semi-barabaric state, went on to become the most powerful state of the period by conquering Chu, one of the most powerful states in the Spring and Autumn Period. Sun Tzu suddenly disappeared when King Helu finally conquered Chu. Therefore his date of death remained unknown.

The title Bing Fa can be translated as "military methods," "army procedures," or "martial arts." Around 298 B.C., the historian Zhuang Zi, writing in the state of Zhao, recorded that Sun Tzu’s theory had been incorporated into the martial arts techniques of both offense and defense and of both armed and unarmed combat. His Bing Fa was the philosophical basis of what we now know as the Asian martial arts.

The historicity of Sun Tzu is discussed extensively in the introduction to Giles' 1910 translation available as a Project Gutenberg online text. In Lionel Giles' introduction to his 1910 translation of The Art of War, Giles expands on the doubt and confusion which has surrounded the historicity of Sun Tzu.

In 1972 a set of bamboo engraved texts were discovered in a grave near Linyi in Shandong. These have helped to confirm parts of the text which were already known and have also added new sections. This version has been dated to between 134-118 BC, and so rules out older theories that parts of the text had been written much later.

Sun Bin, also known as Sun the Mutilated, allegedly a crippled descendent of Sun Tzu, also wrote a text known as the Art of War. A more accurate title might be the Art of Warfare since this was more directly concerned with the practical matters of warfare, rather than military strategy. At least one translator has used the title The Lost Art of War, referring to the long period during which Sun Bin's book was lost. There is, however, no commonality between the content or writing style in Sun Bin and Sun Tzu.

The Art of War has been one of the most popular combat collections in the history. Ancient Chinese have long viewed this book as one of the entrance test materials, and it is one of the most important collection of books in the Chinese literature. It is said that Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin both read this book while in war.

Sun Tzu also is rumored to be an ancestor of Sun Quan, the founder of the Wu Kingdom, which was one of the three competing dynasties during the Three Kingdoms era.

Books written by Sun Tzu

• The Art of War

Attribution

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