The Art of War.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sunzi, active 6th century B.C.

Contributor:

Griffith, Samuel B.

GIC Course Text Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Classics.

Local Subjects:

Classics.

Summary:

Like Machiavelli's The Prince and the Japanese Book of Five Rings, Sun Tzu's The Art of War is as timely for business people today as it was for military strategists in ancient China. Written in China more than 2,000 years ago, Sun Tzu's classic The Art of War is the first known study of the planning and conduct of military operations. These terse, aphoristic essays are unsurpassed in depth of understanding, examining not only battlefield maneuvers, but also relevant economic, political, and psychological factors. Indeed, the precepts outlined by Sun Tzu are regularly applied outside the realm of military theory. It is read avidly by Japanese businessmen and was touted in the movie Wall Street as the corporate raider's bible. In this classic translation, Samuel B. Griffith has made this powerful and unique work even more relevant to the modern world. Including an explanatory introduction and selected commentaries on the work, this edition makes Sun Tzu's strategic and tactical principles accessible not only to students of Chinese history and culture, but to anyone interested in simply getting ahead of the competition.

Contents:

Sun Tzu and the Concubines

II. The Text 13

III. The Warring States 20

IV. War in Sun Tzu's Age 30

V. Sun Tzu on War 39

VI. Sun Tzu and Mao Tse-tung 45

Translation

Biography of Sun Tzu 57

I. Estimates 63

II. Waging War 72

III. Offensive Strategy 77

IV. Dispositions 85

V. Energy 90

VI. Weaknesses and Strengths 96

VII. Manoeuvre 102

VIII. The Nine Variables 111

IX. Marches 116

X. Terrain 124

XI. The Nine Varieties of Ground 130

XII. Attack by Fire 141

XIII. Employment of Secret Agents 144

I. A Note on Wu Ch'i 150

II. Sun Tzu's Influence on Japanese Military Thought 169

III. Sun Tzu in Western Languages 179

IV. Brief Biographies of the Commentators 184

Ch'un-Ch'iu Period 32

The Contending States

boundaries of 350 B.C. 33.

ISBN:

9780195014761

0195014766