The Art of War E-Book

Sun Tzu

• Herausgeber: Amber Books Ltd
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: Chinese Bound
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Seitenzahl: 69

Beschreibung

Written in the 6th century BC, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is still used as a book of military strategy today. Napoleon, Mae Zedong, General Vo Nguyen Giap and General Douglas MacArthur all claimed to have drawn inspiration from it. And beyond the world of war, business and management gurus have also applied Sun Tzu’s ideas to office politics and corporate strategy.  Using a new translation by James Trapp and including editorial notes, this bilingual edition of The Art of War lays the original Chinese text opposite the modern English translation. The book contains the full original 13 chapters on such topics as laying plans, attacking by stratagem, weaponry, terrain and the use of spies. Sun Tzu addresses different campaign situations, marching, energy and how to exploit your enemy’s weaknesses. Of immense influence to great leaders across millennia, The Art of War is a classic text richly deserving this exquisite edition.

Leseprobe

This digital edition first published in 2011

Published byAmber Books LtdUnited HouseNorth RoadLondon N7 9DPUnited Kingdom

All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for thepurpose of review no part of this publication may be reproducedwithout prior written permission from the publisher. The informationin this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge.All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the partof the author or publisher, who also disclaim any liability incurredin connection with the use of this data or specific details.

Website: www.amberbooks.co.ukInstagram: amberbooksltdFacebook: amberbooksTwitter: @amberbooks

Copyright © 2011 Amber Books Ltd

ISBN: 978 190 827 372 7

Text: James TrappProject Editor: Michael SpillingDesign: Rajdip Sanghera

www.amberbooks.co.uk

Contents

Introduction

PlanningWaging WarStrategic OffenceDeploymentMomentumThe Substantial and the InsubstantialManoeuvres against the EnemyThe Nine VariablesOn the MarchTerrainThe Nine Types of GroundAttacking with FireUsing Spies

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6121622263240485262708490

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Index

計篇作戰篇謀攻篇形篇勢篇虛實篇軍爭篇九變篇行軍篇地形篇九地篇火攻篇用間篇

Introduction

I

t is an unusual book that was written 2500 years ago in animpenetrable classical language and yet figures on therecommended reading list of the United States Marine Corps.

More unusual still for it to be a favourite book of figures so contrastingas General Douglas MacArthur and Mao Zedong (Mao Tse Tung); butSunzi’s 兵法 [Art of War] is such a book. Moreover it has discovereda new life outside military circles in the world of modern businessmanagement. A simple internet search under ‘Art of War + businessstrategy’ will provide hundreds of sites claiming to offer invaluablecommercial insights based on this ancient text.

According to long tradition, 兵法 was written by Sun Wu, betterknown as Sunzi (Sun Tzu in the old style Romanization), a general andstrategist in the service of King He Lü of Wu during the Spring andAutumn Annals period of ancient China (770–476 BCE). The accuracyof this version is, however, a matter of heated scholarly debate, withsome experts believing that inconsistencies and anachronisms in the textpoint to a later date of composition, and others questioning even theexistence of Sunzi as a historical figure. Further confusing the matter isthe existence of a later text from the second half of the fourth centuryBCE, also called the Art of War, written by a man called Sun Bin, who wasalso known as Sunzi.

There is no definitive standard text of the Art of War; over centuriesof copying, minor variations have crept in, as is the case with mostancient manuscripts. Furthermore, classical Chinese was written withoutpunctuation, which serves to increase the number of possible readings.There are also a number of places where the text is indisputably corrupt.All this, added to the potential ambiguity of the actual language of

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     There is no absolutely standardtext for the Art of War; overcenturies of copying, minorvariations have crept in...

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classical Chinese, means that no two interpretations of Art of War arealike. In this translation I have used one of the most widely acceptedversions of the text from the Song Dynasty period (960–1279 CE), andwhere conflicting interpretations exist, have attempted to allow contextand the balance of the prose to dictate my translation.

The structure of the text is generally undisputed. It is dividedinto 13 chapters, each addressing an aspect of organization or strategicplanning. Some of these chapters are more sophisticated and clearlycomplete than others, indicating again the likelihood of corruptionin the text. All of them, however, are at one level intensely practical,especially Sunzi’s observations on interpreting the mood of soldiers(both one’s own and the enemy’s) from their behaviour. What is notablethroughout and what raises the work far above a simple military manualis the elegance of the prose and the underlying Daoist principles.In the eyes of Sunzi, a general is no mere jobbing soldier: he is ascholar, gentleman and philosopher. The depth of meaning which thiselement of mysticism imparts is undoubtedly responsible for the work’scontinuing and universal appeal.

Sunzi Said 1...

1 Throughout the text wherever Chinese names or other words appear, I have adopted themodern pinyin romanization. Thus Sunzi rather than the traditional form Sun Tzu. Althoughdoubts may be raised about the historical authenticity of the attribution, the author of the Art ofWar is traditionally believed to be Sun Wu, known later as Sunzi, a distinguished general in theservice of King He Lü of Wu in the sixth century BCE during the period known as the Spring andAutumn Annals (770 - 476 BCE). The content of the text and the types of warfare it describes,however, suggest to many scholars that it was in fact written in the later Warring States period(475 - 221 BCE).

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計篇

孫子曰:兵者,國之大事,死生之地,存亡之道,不可不察也。

故經之以五,校之以計,而索其情:一曰道,二曰天,三曰地,四曰 將,五曰法。

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Planning

     ...War is the place where life anddeath meet...

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U

nderstanding the nature of war is of vital importance to theState. War is the place where life and death meet; it is theroad to destruction or survival. It demands study. War has five

decisive factors, which you must take into account in your planning; youmust fully understand their relevance. First is a Moral Compass; second isHeaven; third is Earth; fourth is the Commander; fifth is Regulation.

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道者,令民于上同意者也,可與之死,可與之生,民不 詭也。天者,陰陽、寒暑、時制也。地者,高下、遠近、險易、廣狹、死生也。將者,智、信、仁、勇、嚴也。法者,曲制、官道、主用也。

凡此五者,將莫不聞,知之者勝,不知之者不勝。故校之以計,而索其情。曰:主孰有道?將孰有能?天地孰得?法令孰行?兵眾孰 強?士卒孰練?賞罰孰明?吾以此知勝負矣。

      The General must be possessedof wisdom, honesty, benevolence,courage and discipline.

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A Moral Compass brings the people into accord with their ruler sothat they will follow him in life and in death without fear.

Heaven encompasses night and day, heat and cold and thechanging of the seasons.

Earth encompasses nearness and distance, ease and hindrance,wide plains and narrow gorges – matters of life or death.

The General must be possessed of wisdom, honesty, benevolence,courage and discipline.2

Regulation means the marshalling of the army, correct organizationand control of supplies.

A General must pay attention to all five, for they represent thedifference between defeat and victory.

So you must study them when laying your plans and thoroughlyunderstand their relevance. By this I mean you should consider:       Which Ruler has a Moral Compass? Which General has ability? Whichside is best favoured by climate and terrain? Where is leadership mosteffective? Which army is strongest? Whose officers and men are best trained?Who best understands the use of reward and punishment? The answers tothese questions tell me who will succeed and who will be defeated.

2 Although the Art of War is essentially a practical handbook, Sunzi incorporates philosophicalprinciples from both Confucianism and Daoism. The character I have translated as “moralcompass” is 道 dào which is the “True Way” of Laozi and Daoism, and clearly here sharessomething of the same meaning. The five qualities essential in a general are pretty much themilitary equivalents of the Five Confucian Virtues.

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將聽吾計,用之必勝,留之;將不聽吾計,用之必敗,去之。

計利以聽,乃為之勢,以佐其外。勢者,因利而制權也。

兵者,詭道也。故能而示之不能,用而示之不用,近而示之遠,遠而 示之近。利而誘之,亂而取之,實而備之,強而避之,怒而撓之,卑而驕之,佚而勞之,親而離之,攻其不備,出其不意。此兵家之勝, 不可先傳也。

夫未戰而廟算勝者,得算多也;未戰而廟算不勝者,得算少也。多算 勝,少算不勝,而況無算乎!吾以此觀之,勝負見矣。

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You should retain those of your generals who heed this advice, forthey will be victorious; you should dismiss those who do not, for they willbe defeated.

When planning victory according to my counsel, act according tothe situation and make use of external factors. To act according to thesituation is to seize the advantage by adapting one’s plans.

Successful war follows the path of Deception.3 Thus when you areable to act, feign incapacity; when deploying, feign inactivity; when youare close, appear to be far off; when you are distant, appear close. Whenyour enemy seeks an advantage, lure him further; if he is in disorder,crush him; if he is organized, be ready for him; when he is strong,