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Nov 24, 2015 · November 24, 2015. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is perhaps the oldest and one of the most widely read classics of military strategy. Published in ancient China an estimated 2,500 years ago, it has remained “the most important military treatise in Asia” according to the historian and translator Ralph D. Sawyer. [1]
The Art of War is traditionally attributed to an ancient Chinese military general known as Sun Tzu (pinyin: Sūnzǐ), meaning 'Master Sun'. Sun Tzu is said to have lived in the 6th century BC, but the earliest parts of The Art of War probably date to at least 100 years later.
- Knowledge
- Form and Formlessness
- Consequent Theories of War and Strategy
- Contemporary Chinese Strategy
At first, Sun Tzu’s Art of War was controversial for prioritizing rational methods over spiritual military practices. In fact, commentators believe that Sun Tzu personifies a radical shift in the Chinese conception of warcraft at the time. He writes: “Advanced knowledge cannot be gained from ghosts and spirits…but must be gained from men” (Sawyer 1...
The terms form and formless encapsulate the idea of knowing the enemy (form) while one’s self remains hidden (being formless). The enemy’s form can be discovered through knowledge and the commander’s ability to interpret and anticipate the enemy’s plans, as previously discussed. Formlessness involves deception as a means of hiding one’s self from v...
Several basic types of warfare emerged after Sun Tzu’s Art of War, encompassing both military and non-military realms. Ideological warfareseeks to conquer the opponent through the minds of its ruler, officials, troops, and people without having to resort to physical combat. Ideally, this is achieved through diplomacy. Ideological warfare may also i...
The legacy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War pervades Chinese strategic thought even today. The Chinese military’s highest educational institution, the People’s Liberation Army National Defense University (PLANDU), has used Sun Tzu’s Art of War as the foundational text for all enlisted servicemen since 2006. The PLA Army Command Academy in Nanjing quotes Sun...
Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thought. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure.
The Art of War (Chinese: 孫子兵法 (Sun Tzu's Military Method) is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (roughly fifth century B.C.E.). The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun"), is composed of 13 chapters. Each one is devoted to a different ...
Early Chinese writers wrote their thoughts and sayings onto bamboo strips, which were then bound together into rolls. The earliest manuscripts of The Art of War are such rolls, leading scholars to debate the original order of the work.
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Jul 18, 2017 · The Art of War (Sunzi bingfa) is a 5th-century BCE military treatise written by the Chinese strategist Sun-Tzu (aka Sunzi or Sun Wu). Covering all aspects of warfare, it seeks to advise commanders on how to prepare, mobilise, attack, defend, and treat the vanquished.
