The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu, a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician. The text is composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare. It is commonly known to be the definitive work on military strategy and tactics of its time. It has been the most famous and influential of China'sSeven Military Classics, and "for the last two thousand years it remained the most important military treatise in Asia, where even the common people knew it by name."^[1] It has had an influence on Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy and beyond.

The book was first translated into the French language in 1772 by French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot and a partial translation into English was attempted by British officer Everard Ferguson Calthrop in 1905. The first annotated English language translation was completed and published by Lionel Giles in 1910.^[2] Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong, GeneralVo Nguyen Giap, General Douglas MacArthur and leaders of Imperial Japan have drawn inspiration from the work.

Themes[edit]

Sun Tzu considered war as a necessary evil that must be avoided whenever possible. The war should be fought swiftly to avoid economic losses: "No long war ever profited any country: 100 victories in 100 battles is simply ridiculous. Anyone who excels in defeating his enemies triumphs before his enemy's threats become real". According to the book, one must avoid massacres and atrocities because this can provoke resistance and possibly allow an enemy to turn the war in his favor.^[3] For the victor, "the best policy is to capture the state intact; it should be destroyed only if no other options are available".^[3]

Sun Tzu emphasized the importance of positioning in military strategy. The decision to position an army must be based on both objective conditions in the physical environment and the subjective beliefs of other, competitive actors in that environment. He thought that strategy was not planning in the sense of working through an established list, but rather that it requires quick and appropriate responses to changing conditions. Planning works in a controlled environment; but in a changing environment, competing plans collide, creating unexpected situations.

The 13 chapters[edit]

The Art of War is divided into 13 chapters (or piān); the collection is referred to as being one zhuàn ("whole" or alternatively "chronicle").

The Art of War chapter names in translations by Giles, Wing, Sawyer, and Chow-Hou

Chapter	Lionel Giles (1910)	R.L. Wing (1988)	Ralph D. Sawyer (1996)	Chow-Hou Wee (2003)
I	Laying Plans	The Calculations	Initial Estimations	Detail Assessment and Planning (Chinese: 始計，始计)
II	Waging War	The Challenge	Waging War	Waging War (Chinese: 作戰，作战)
III	Attack by Stratagem	The Plan of Attack	Planning Offensives	Strategic Attack (Chinese: 謀攻，谋攻)
IV	Tactical Dispositions	Positioning	Military Disposition	Disposition of the Army (Chinese: 軍形，军形)
V	Energy	Directing	Strategic Military Power	Forces (Chinese: 兵勢，兵势)
VI	Weak Points and Strong	Illusion and Reality	Vacuity and Substance	Weaknesses and Strengths (Chinese: 虛實，虚实)
VII	Maneuvering	Engaging The Force	Military Combat	Military Maneuvers (Chinese: 軍爭，军争)
VIII	Variation of Tactics	The Nine Variations	Nine Changes	Variations and Adaptability (Chinese: 九變，九变)
IX	The Army on the March	Moving The Force	Maneuvering the Army	Movement and Development of Troops (Chinese: 行軍，行军)
X	Terrain	Situational Positioning	Configurations of Terrain	Terrain (Chinese: 地形)
XI	The Nine Situations	The Nine Situations	Nine Terrains	The Nine Battlegrounds (Chinese: 九地)
XII	The Attack by Fire	The Fiery Attack	Incendiary Attacks	Attacking with Fire (Chinese: 火攻)
XIII	The Use of Spies	The Use of Intelligence	Employing Spies	Intelligence and Espionage (Chinese: 用間，用间)

Chapter summary[edit]

The beginning of The Art of War in a classical bamboo book from the reign of theQianlong Emperor

1. Laying Plans/The Calculations explores the five fundamental factors (the Way, seasons, terrain, leadership and management) and seven elements that determine the outcomes of military engagements. By thinking, assessing and comparing these points, a commander can calculate his chances of victory. Habitual deviation from these calculations will ensure failure via improper action. The text stresses that war is a very grave matter for the state and must not be commenced without due consideration.
2. Waging War/The Challenge explains how to understand the economy of warfare and how success requires winning decisive engagements quickly. This section advises that successful military campaigns require limiting the cost of competition and conflict.
3. Attack by Stratagem/The Plan of Attack defines the source of strength as unity, not size, and discusses the five factors that are needed to succeed in any war. In order of importance, these critical factors are: Attack, Strategy, Alliances, Army and Cities.
4. Tactical Dispositions/Positioning explains the importance of defending existing positions until a commander is capable of advancing from those positions in safety. It teaches commanders the importance of recognizing strategic opportunities, and teaches not to create opportunities for the enemy.
5. Energy/Directing explains the use of creativity and timing in building an army's momentum.
6. Weak Points & Strong/Illusion and Reality explains how an army's opportunities come from the openings in the environment caused by the relative weakness of the enemy in a given area.
7. Maneuvering/Engaging The Force explains the dangers of direct conflict and how to win those confrontations when they are forced upon the commander.
8. Variation in Tactics/The Nine Variations focuses on the need for flexibility in an army's responses. It explains how to respond to shifting circumstances successfully.
9. The Army on the March/Moving The Force describes the different situations in which an army finds itself as it moves through new enemy territories, and how to respond to these situations. Much of this section focuses on evaluating the intentions of others.
10. Terrain/Situational Positioning looks at the three general areas of resistance (distance, dangers and barriers) and the six types of ground positions that arise from them. Each of these six field positions offer certain advantages and disadvantages.
11. The Nine Situations/Nine Terrains describes the nine common situations (or stages) in a campaign, from scattering to deadly, and the specific focus that a commander will need in order to successfully navigate them.
12. The Attack by Fire/Fiery Attack explains the general use of weapons and the specific use of the environment as a weapon. This section examines the five targets for attack, the five types of environmental attack and the appropriate responses to such attacks.
13. The Use of Spies/The Use of Intelligence focuses on the importance of developing good information sources, and specifies the five types of intelligence sources and how to best manage each of them.^{[citation needed]}