Sunzi
Sunzi was a native of the Qi (Ch’i) state who worked as a military adviser of the kingdom of Wu ruler, He Lu. Not much is known about Sunzi’s early life, as there are few existing works containing only scant biographical information; however, an anecdote of how he came to the Wu king’s attention is contained in the work of Sima Qian (Ssu-Ma Ch’ien), the grand chronicler of pre-Han China. As the story goes, Sunzi was asked to demonstrate how he could put his theories of military organization into practice. Sunzi convinced the Wu king of his ability when he was able to transform a cohort of the king’s concubines into an organized and disciplined drill unit. Scholars have estimated that this incident probably occurred not long after He Lu came to the throne.
According to Sima Qian and the Shiji (Shi-chi), Sunzi most probably died before his patron’s death in 496 B.C.E. The last time Sunzi was mentioned was in connection with his role in assisting He Lu in his defeat of the Qu (Ch’ü) state in 512 B.C.E. Sunzi’s greatest legacy is his composition on military strategies, titled Ping-fa (The Art of War). In his translation and commentary on Sunzi’s work, Lionel Giles praises the author’s genius: “They [Sunzi’s words] reflect the mind not only of a born strategist, gifted with a rare faculty of generalisation, but also of a practical soldier closely acquainted with the military conditions of his time.”
The Art of War represents the work of an experienced warrior. This has led to speculation that Sunzi began to write this work close to the end of his career when He Lu’s military adviser. The work contains 13 chapters, each one examining a particular military topic or strategy. The Art of War is not merely a collection of sound and effective military plans and strategies; it is also a historical text that describes the events and personalities of Sunzi’s lifetime. In two passages, for example, Sunzi refers to the size of the armies of the Wu kingdom and its adversaries, the Yueh.
Sunzi’s work attained recognition and status from not only his contemporaries but also later generations of famous generals and warriors. Military leaders, including Han Xin (Han Hsin) and Yue Fei (Yueh Fei), learned much from The Art of War and acknowledged their debt to it. Even purely literary men such as Su Shi’s father, Su Xun, paid compliments to the great strategist.
The scholar Zheng Hou (Cheng Hou) also praised Sunzi in this extract contained in Impartial Judgements in the Garden of Literature:
6/21/24, 10:12 AM History – Print – Sunzi
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Citation Information
Sun Tzu’s 13 chapters are not only the staple and base of all military men’s training, but also compel the most careful attention of scholars and men of letters. His sayings are terse yet elegant, simple yet profound, perspicuous and eminently practical. Such works as the Lun Yu, the I Ching and the great Commentary, as well as the writings of Mencius, Hsun Kuang and Yang Chu, all fall below the level of Sun Tzu.
Sunzi’s work continues to influence present-day society, in both military and commercial matters. Modern writers have tried to adapt Sunzi’s ingenious cunning to the new competitive age of commerce and international business. Examples include Mark McNeilly’s work Sun Tzu and the Art of Business: Six Strategic Principles for Managers and Check Teck Foo and Peter Grinyer’s book Organizing Strategy: Sun Tzu’s Business Warcraft. Further Information
An English Version of a Work by Sunzi