Sun-tzu and the Art of War

Of all the volumes written on the Martial Arts, the Art of War is probably the most well known, and certainly one of the oldest. Indeed, in any of the myriad treatises explicating strategy and war, it is not uncommon to find references, influences, and plagiarisms of this fine work. There is some controversy as to the actual date it was written — not to mention some controversy over the person who wrote it — but it is generally accepted that the book was authored by a man named Sun-tzu sometime in the vicinity of 500 BC. Yes, BC, not AD. That's not a typo.

If you've heard of Sun-tzu, chances are you know this story: The King of Wu, desiring to evaluate Sun-tzu's potential, asked if it would possible to make soldiers out of women. Sun-tzu answered an affirmative. So the King of Wu called upon eighty of his concubines, and Sun-tzu supplied the women with halberds, arranged them into two companies, and designated the King's two favorite concubines as officers. Sun-tzu demonstrated the proper way to hold a halberd, then instructed the women that he was going to call a command, either "Front," "Back," "Left," or "Right — at which point the women would be expected to face the direction commanded.

So Sun-tzu called a direction, and the women all laughed. This troubled Sun-tzu not at all. He pointed out that if instructions are unclear and not observed, the blame must fall on the commander, and frankly consented his fault. Following, he explained the instructions again, this time in great detail, allowing no ambiguity in the orders. Satisfied the instructions were clear, Sun-tzu once again called a direction.

Once again, the women all laughed, and once again, Sun-tzu pointed out that if instructions are unclear and not observed, the blame must fall on the commander — but if instructions are clear and not carried out, then it is the fault of the officers. He ordered the palace guards to behead King's two favorite concubines who had been appointed to that position.

The King, watching from afar, sent a message to Sun-tzu, informing that he was pleased: that there was no need to behead his favorite concubines. Sun-tzu returned a message to the King, pointing out that the King was far away, not on the battlefield, and therefore had no business interfering with military affairs. The two women lost their heads, two new officers were appointed, and the remaining concubines eagerly did as they were told.

The Art of War is composed of thirteen chapters that explicate a wide variety of topics germane to war, such as Offensive Strategy, Maneuver, and the Use of Spies. It is clear and direct, as instructions must be in times of demand, an unlike many books published on the Martial Arts, the Art of War is not esoteric at all. Sun-tzu writes, "Advance knowledge cannot be obtained from ghosts or spirits, inferred from phenomena, or projected from the measures of Heaven, but must be gained from men for it is the knowledge of the enemy's true situation."

I suggest the translation of the Art of War by Ralph D. Sawyer.