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The Art of War

by Sunzi (1875–1958)

  • Free to read
  • 4 hours to read
  • 15 chapters
  • Reading level: 8th & 9th grade

"The Art of War" by active 6th century B.C. Sunzi is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the 5th century BC. Composed of 13 chapters, this influential work explores military strategy, tactics, intelligence operations, and the art of warfare. For nearly 1,500 years, it served as the lead text in China's Seven Military Classics. The treatise has shaped military thinking worldwide, inspiring leaders from Mao Zedong to Douglas MacArthur with its timeless principles of strategy and discipline.

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  • Military art and science · Early works to 1800
  • War · Early works to 1800

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Chapter I: Laying Plans

[Ts’ao Kung, in defining the meaning of the Chinese for the title of this chapter, says it refers to the deliberations in the temple selected by the general for his temporary use, or as we should say, in his tent. See. § 26.]

1. Sun Tzŭ said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.

2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

3. The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.

4. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.

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Contents

  1. Front Matter
  2. Introduction
  3. Chapter I: Laying Plans
  4. Chapter II: Waging War
  5. Chapter III: Attack by Stratagem
  6. Chapter IV: Tactical Dispositions
  7. Chapter V: Energy
  8. Chapter VI: Weak Points and Strong
  9. Chapter VII: ManŒUvering
  10. Chapter VIII: Variation of Tactics
  11. Chapter IX: The Army on the March
  12. Chapter X: Terrain
  13. Chapter XI: The Nine Situations
  14. Chapter XII: The Attack by Fire
  15. Chapter XIII: The Use of Spies

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About this edition

This free edition of The Art of War by Sunzi comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #132, released 1994-05-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: History - Ancient, History - Warfare.

Other editions: eBook #17405.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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