Sun Zi's Art of War

Sun Zi's Art of War

The Sun Zi's Art of War, also named Sun Zi, is a famous book of military science in ancient China, and also the first and earliest work of military science extant in the world as well. Its author, Sun Wu, was an outstanding strategists of the late Spring and Autumn Period.

Sun Wu was a native of the State of Qi and later moved to the State of Wu. At that time, all vassal states waged constant wars for hegemony and the society fell into turbulence. When he lived in the State of Wu, Sun Wu thought deeply the wars among the sates and summarized the regular pattern. Through his arduous effort, he finally finished The Sun Zi's Art of War.

Sun Wu presented his book to the ruler He Lǜ of Wu who appointed him as a senior general and entrusted him with the drill of the army of Wu. Sun Wu was a strict commander, earnest drilling the Wu's army. With his help, the State of Wu became a major military power in the Spring and Autumn Period.

The Sun Zi's Art of War consists of 13 chapters, amounting to more than 6000 characters. Sun Wu expounded his wide-ranging views on wars. He emphasized the importance of 'knowing yourself and knowing your enemy', 'attacking the enemy unexpectedly' and concentrating a superior force to thoroughly defeat the enemy. Sun Wu especially stressed the importance of using war only as a last resort because war was a grievous burden on the people.

More than 100 years later, during the Warring States Period, strategist Sun Bin inherited Sun Wu's military theory and wrote Sun Bin's Art of War.

The Sun Zi's Art of War has been translated into English, French, Japanese, German, Russian, Czech and other languages. Because it is deemed applicable to many of life's problems beyond warfare, and it enjoys high international prestige.

            

THE 36 STRATAGEMS (ART OF WAR)

1. Cross the sea without the emperor's knowledge
2. Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao
3. Kill with a borrowed knife
4. Waiting at leisure while enemy labors
5. Loot a burning house
6. Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west
7. Create something from nothing
8. Openly repair the gallery roads but sneak through the passage of Chencang
9. Watch the fires burning across the river
10. Hide a knife behind a smile
11. Sacrifice the plum tree to preserve the peach tree
12. Take the opportunity to pilfer a goat
13. Stomp the grass to scare the snake
14. Borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul
15. Lure the tiger off its mountain lair
16. In order to capture, one must let loose
17. Tossing out a brick to get a jade gem
18. Defeat the enemy by capturing their chief
19. Remove the firewood from under the pot
20. Disturb the water and catch a fish
21. Slough off the cicada's golden shell
22. Shut the door to catch the thief
23. Be friend a distant and strike a neighbouring one
24. Obtain safe passage to conquer the State of Guo
25. Replace the beams with rotten timbers
26. Point at mulberry tree while cruising the locust tree
27. Feign madness but keep your balance
28. Remove the ladder when the enemy has ascended to the roof
29. Deck the tree with false blossoms
30. Make the host and the guest exchange roles
31. The beauty trap (Honeypot)
32. The empty fort strategy
33. Let the enemy's own spy sow discord in the enemy's trust
34. Inflict injury on oneself to win the enemy's trust
35. Chain stratagems
36. If all else fails, retreat