Sun Tzu (also rendered as Sun
Zi) was a Chinese general, military strategist, and philosopher who lived
in the Spring And Autumn period of
ancient China. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, a widely
influential work of military strategy that
has affected both Western and Eastern philosophy. Aside from his legacy as
the author of The Art of War,
Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and Asian
culture as a legendary historical
figure. His birth name was Sun
Wu, and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name changeing. The name Sun
Tzu by which he is best known
in the West is an honorific which means "Master Sun".
Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. Sima Qian and other traditional historians
placed him as a minister to King
Helü of Wu and
dated his lifetime to 544–496 BC. Modern scholars accepting his historicity
nonetheless place the existing text of The
Art of War in the laterWarring
States period based upon its
style of composition and its descriptions of warfare.Traditional accounts state
that the general's descendant Sun
Bin also wrote a treatise on
military tactics, also titled The
Art of War. Since both Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as Sun Tzu in
classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical prior to the
rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.
Sun Tzu's work has been praised and
employed throughout East Asia since its composition. During the
twentieth century, The Art of
War grew in popularity and
saw practical use in Western
society as well. It continues to
influence many competitive endeavors in Asia, Europe, and America including
culture, politics, business,and
sports, as well as modern
warfare.
Life
The
oldest available sources disagree as to where Sun Tzu was born. The Spring and
Autumn Annals states that Sun Tzu was born in Qi, while Sima Qian’s later Records of
the Grand Historian states that Sun Tzu was a native of Wu. Both sources agree that Sun Tzu was born in the late Spring
and Autumn Period and that he was active as
a general and strategist, serving king Helü of Wu
in the late sixth century BC, beginning around 512 BC. Sun Tzu's victories then
inspired him to write The Art of
War. The Art of Warwas
one of the most widely read military treatises in the subsequent Warring
States period, a time of constant war among
seven nations – Zhao, Qi, Qin, Chu, Han, Wei, and Yan – who fought to control the vast expanse of
fertile territory in Eastern China.
One of the more well-known
stories about Sun Tzu, taken from Sima Qian, illustrates Sun Tzu's temperament
as follows: Before hiring Sun Tzu, the King of Wu tested Sun Tzu's skills by commanding
him to train a harem of 180 concubines into soldiers. Sun Tzu divided
them into two companies, appointing the two concubines most favored by the king
as the company commanders. When Sun Tzu first ordered the concubines to face
right, they giggled. In response, Sun Tzu said that the general, in this case
himself, was responsible for ensuring that soldiers understood the commands
given to them. Then, he reiterated the command, and again the concubines
giggled. Sun Tzu then ordered the execution of the king's two favored concubines,
to the king's protests. He explained that if the general's soldiers understood
their commands but did not obey, it was the fault of the officers. Sun Tzu also
said that, once a general was appointed, it was his duty to carry out his
mission, even if the king protested. After both concubines were killed, new
officers were chosen to replace them. Afterwards, both companies, now well
aware of the costs of further frivolity, performed their maneuvers flawlessly.
Sima Qian claimed that Sun Tzu
later proved on the battlefield that his theories were effective (for example,
at the Battle of Boju), that he had a successful military career, and that
he wrote The Art of War based
on his tested expertise. However, the Zuozhuan, a historical text written centuries earlier than
the Records of the Grand
Historian, provides a much more detailed account of the Battle of Boju,
but does not mention Sun Tzu at all.
Historicity
Beginning
around the 12th century, some scholars began to doubt the historical existence
of Sun Tzu, primarily on the grounds that he is not mentioned in the historical
classic The Commentary of Zuo(Zuo Zhuan) which mentions most of the
notable figures from the Spring and Autumn period. The name "Sun
Wu" does not appear in any text prior to the Records of the Grand Historian,and may have been a made-up
descriptive cognomen meaning "the fugitive warrior": the surname
"Sun" can be glossed as the related term "fugitive" (xùn ), while "Wu" is
the ancient Chinese virtue of "martial, valiant" , which corresponds
to Sunzi's role as the hero's doppelgänger in
the story of Wu ZixuSkeptics cite possible historical inaccuracies and
anachronisms in the text, and that the book was actually a compilation from
different authors and military strategists. Attribution of the authorship of The Art of War varies among
scholars and has included people and movements including Sun; Chu scholar Wu Zixu;
an anonymous author; a school of theorists in Qi or Wu; Sun Bin;
and others. Unlike Sun Wu, Sun Bin appears to have been an actual person
who was a genuine authority on military matters, and may have been the
inspiration for the creation of the historical figure "Sunzi" through
a form of euhemerism.
The name Sun Wu does appear in later sources such as the Records of
the Grand Historian (Shiji ) and
the Wu Yue chunqiu. The
only historical battle attributed to Sun Tzu, the Battle of
Boju, has no record of him fighting in that battle.
The
appearance of features from The
Art of War in other historical texts is considered to be proof of
his historicity and authorship. Certain strategic concepts, such as terrain
classification, are attributed to Sun Tzu. Their use in other works such as The Methods of the Sima is
considered proof of Sun Tzu's historical priority. According to Ralph
Sawyer, it is very likely Sun Tzu did exist and not only served as a general
but also wrote the core of the book that bears his name. It is argued that
there is a disparity between the large-scale wars and sophisticated techniques
detailed in the text and the more primitive small-scale battles that many
believe predominated in China during the 6th century BC. Against this, Sawyer
argues that the teachings of Sun Wu were probably taught to succeeding
generations in his family or a small school of disciples, which eventually
included Sun Bin. These descendants or students may have revised or expanded
upon certain points in the original text.
Skeptics who
identify issues with the traditionalist view point to possible anachronisms in The Art of War including terms,
technology (such as anachronistic crossbows and
the unmentioned cavalry), philosophical ideas, events, and military techniques
that should not have been available to Sun Wu. Additionally, there are no
records of professional generals during the Spring and Autumn period; these are only
extant from the Warring States period, so there is doubt
as to Sun Tzu's rank and generalship. This caused much confusion as to
when The Art of War was
actually written. The first traditional view is that it was written in 512 BC
by the historical Sun Wu, active in the last years of the Spring and Autumn
period (c. 722-481 BC). A second view, held by scholars such as Samuel
Griffith, places The Art of War during
the middle to late Warring States period (c. 481-221 BC). Finally, a third
school claims that the slips were published in the last half of the 5th century
BC; this is based on how its adherents interpret the bamboo slips discovered at
Yin-ch’ueh-shan in 1972 AD.
