Sun Tzu

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For the mathematician, see Sun Tzu (mathematician).

Image:Sun-tzu.jpg Sun Tzu (Template:Zh-cp; ca 6th century BC) was the author of The Art of War, an immensely influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy (for the most part not dealing directly with tactics). He is also one of the earliest realists in international relations theory.

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

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Sun Tzu as a historical figure

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. However, both the form and content of The Art of War suggest it may have been written between 400 BC and 320 BC.

Sun Tzu's own work, The Art of War, labeled bing fa or "military strategy", provides some clues to the period in which he may have lived.

Some scholars have concluded that Sun Tzu's work was actually authored by unknown Chinese philosophers and that Sun Tzu did not actually exist as a historical figure. There is more evidence to support this theory than the traditional one of Sun Tzu as an individual historical figure--an idea which was developed by contemporary military analysts and writers. 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 [1]. These have helped to confirm parts of the text which were already known and have also added new sections [2]. This version has been dated to between 134-118 BCE [3], 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. [4] At least one translator has used the title The Lost Art of War, referring to the long period of time during which Sun Bin's book was, quite literally, lost. There is, however, no coincidence between the content or writing style in Sun Bin and Sun Tzu.

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 super-dynasties during the Three Kingdoms era.

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See also

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External links

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