The Art of War — Sun Tzu

The Art of War

Sun Tzu · الترخيص: Public domain · المصدر

• Translated from the Chinese with Introduction and Critical Notes ¶4
• Assistant in the Department of Oriental Printed Books and MSS. in the British Museum ¶7
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• To my brother Captain Valentine Giles, R.G. in the hope that a work 2400 years old may yet contain lessons worth consideration by the soldier of today this translation is affectionately dedicated. ¶10
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• Bob Sutton al876@cleveland.freenet.edu bobs@gnu.ai.mit.edu ¶14
• ----------------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION ¶15
• Sun Wu and his Book ------------------- ¶16
• Ssu-ma Ch`ien gives the following biography of Sun Tzu: [1] -- ¶17
• This is the latest date at which anything is recorded of Sun Wu. He does not appear to have survived his patron, who died from the effects of a wound in 496. In another chapter there occurs this passage: [6] ¶21
• From this time onward, a number of famous soldiers arose, one after the other: Kao-fan, [7] who was employed by the Chin State; Wang-tzu, [8] in the service of Ch`i; and Sun Wu, in the service of Wu. These men developed and threw light upon the principles of war. ¶22
• Military writers look upon Sun Wu as the father of their art. But the fact that he does not appear in the TSO CHUAN, although he is said to have served under Ho Lu King of Wu, makes it uncertain what period he really belonged to. ¶28
• The works of Sun Wu and Wu Ch`i may be of genuine antiquity. ¶30
• Though according to my estimate the soldiers of Yueh exceed our own in number, that shall advantage them nothing in the matter of victory. I say then that victory can be achieved. ¶33
• The other is in XI. ss. 30: -- ¶34
• Asked if an army can be made to imitate the SHUAI-JAN, I should answer, Yes. For the men of Wu and the men of Yueh are enemies; yet if they are crossing a river in the same boat and are caught by a storm, they will come to each other's assistance just as the left hand helps the right. ¶35
• The Text of Sun Tzu ------------------- ¶39
• During the Ch`in and Han dynasties Sun Tzu's ART OF WAR was in general use amongst military commanders, but they seem to have treated it as a work of mysterious import, and were unwilling to expound it for the benefit of posterity. Thus it came about that Wei Wu was the first to write a commentary on it. ¶41
• The Commentators ---------------- ¶45
• 8. MEI YAO-CH`EN (1002-1060), commonly known by his "style" as Mei Sheng-yu, was, like Tu Mu, a poet of distinction. His commentary was published with a laudatory preface by the great Ou-yang Hsiu, from which we may cull the following: -- ¶54
• Making some allowance for the exuberance of friendship, I am inclined to endorse this favorable judgment, and would certainly place him above Ch`en Hao in order of merit. ¶56
• Appreciations of Sun Tzu ------------------------ ¶61
• The following is an extract from the "Impartial Judgments in the Garden of Literature" by Cheng Hou: -- ¶64
• Chu Hsi, commenting on this, fully admits the first part of the criticism, although he dislikes the audacious comparison with the venerated classical works. Language of this sort, he says, "encourages a ruler's bent towards unrelenting warfare and reckless militarism." ¶66
• Apologies for War ----------------- ¶67
• The next piece is taken from Tu Mu's preface to his commentary on Sun Tzu: -- ¶70
• We have seen that the great Chu Hsi held Sun Tzu in high esteem. He also appeals to the authority of the Classics: -- ¶72
• Sun Hsing-yen, the editor of Sun Tzu, writes in similar strain: -- ¶74
• The following are the oldest Chinese treatises on war, after Sun Tzu. The notes on each have been drawn principally from the SSU K`U CH`UAN SHU CHIEN MING MU LU, ch. 9, fol. 22 sqq. ¶77
• 1. WU TZU, in 1 CHUAN or 6 chapters. By Wu Ch`i (d. 381 B.C.). A genuine work. See SHIH CHI, ch. 65. ¶78
• 6. LI WEI KUNG WEN TUI, in 3 sections. Written in the form of a dialogue between T`ai Tsung and his great general Li Ching, it is usually ascribed to the latter. Competent authorities consider it a forgery, though the author was evidently well versed in the art of war. ¶83
• 7. LI CHING PING FA (not to be confounded with the foregoing) is a short treatise in 8 chapters, preserved in the T`ung Tien, but not published separately. This fact explains its omission from the SSU K`U CH`UAN SHU. ¶84
• The bibliographical sections of certain historical works also deserve mention: -- ¶88
• CH`IEN HAN SHU, ch. 30. SUI SHU, ch. 32-35. CHIU T`ANG SHU, ch. 46, 47. HSIN T`ANG SHU, ch. 57,60. SUNG SHIH, ch. 202-209. T`UNG CHIH (circa 1150), ch. 68. ¶89
• To these of course must be added the great Catalogue of the Imperial Library: -- ¶90
• SSU K`U CH`UAN SHU TSUNG MU T`I YAO (1790), ch. 99, 100. ¶91
• 2. He reigned from 514 to 496 B.C. ¶94
• 4. The appellation of Nang Wa. ¶96
• 7. The appellation of Hu Yen, mentioned in ch. 39 under the year 637. ¶99
• 8. Wang-tzu Ch`eng-fu, ch. 32, year 607. ¶100

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