孙子兵法
Art of War
Military Strategy · textAn ancient Chinese military text traditionally attributed to Sunzi (孙子), transmitted in thirteen chapters on assessment, campaigning, attack, position, movement, terrain, command, fire attack, and intelligence. Later readers have applied the text beyond warfare, but those uses are later interpretations.
About the Work
Traditional attribution: this is a received text associated with its named tradition or figure.
What Are the Key Facts About Art of War?
- Tradition: Military Strategy
- Chinese: 孙子兵法
- Category: Text
- Definition: An ancient Chinese military text traditionally attributed to Sunzi (孙子), transmitted in thirteen chapters on assessment, campaigning, attack, position, movement, terrain, command, fire attack, and intelligence.
What Cards Are Related to Art of War?
Know Yourself and Your Adversary
The foundation of all strategy
All Warfare Is Deception
Appear weak when you are strong
Swift Victory
Protracted war benefits no one
Know the Enemy General
Character determines strategy
Subdue Without Fighting
The highest form of victory
The Five Fundamentals
Measure before you move
Feed on the Enemy
Use what is already there
Win Without Fighting
The supreme art of war
Never Besiege a City
The cost of direct assault
Know When to Fight
Five essentials for engagement
Make Yourself Invincible
First secure against defeat
The Rush of Water
Timing is everything
The Normal and the Extraordinary
Endless combinations
Attack Where They Are Not
The art of emptiness and fullness
Be Shapeless as Water
Adapt to the terrain
Know When to Break the Rules
There are roads not to follow
Weigh the Advantages
Consider both sides of every move
Six Kinds of Terrain
Know the ground you stand on
Nine Kinds of Ground
Each situation demands its own response
On Death Ground, Fight
Desperation is a strategy
Foreknowledge Is Everything
What you cannot learn from spirits
The Five Kinds of Spies
Every source has its use
Read the Signs
What the environment tells you
The Sound of Silence
When there are no signs
Turn the Enemy's Spies
The converted spy is priceless
The Five Dangerous Faults
What destroys a general
The General Must Be Calm
Inscrutable and controlled
Reward and Punishment
When to use each
Unite Them with Purpose
The moral law
Treat Soldiers as Children
Lead with care, command with discipline
When Words Are Not Enough
Beyond orders and drums
Know When to Stop
Victory has its limits
Attack by Fire
The most destructive weapon
Do Not Act from Anger
The sovereign must not mobilize in rage
Avoid What Is Strong
Strike what is weak
War Is a Matter of Life and Death
The first words of the text
What Concepts Are Related to Art of War?
Strategic Deception 兵者诡道Guides That Go Deeper on Art of War
Art Of War ChaptersFrequently Asked Questions About Art of War
What is the Art of War in Chinese philosophy?
The Art of War (Sunzi bingfa, 孙子兵法) is a classical Chinese treatise on military assessment, command, and strategy, traditionally associated with Sunzi. Its opening chapter treats war as a matter of calculation and comparison, while the received work develops the subject across thirteen chapters. It is a military text first; later business and personal-development uses are modern applications, not the original setting.
What does ‘win without fighting’ mean in the Art of War?
The phrase expresses Sunzi’s preference for resolving a conflict through strategy, diplomacy, and disruption of an opponent’s plans rather than making battle the first measure of success. In the text, subduing an opponent without a destructive engagement is presented as a higher form of strategic skill, not as a promise that force is never used.
Can the Art of War be read as a business strategy book?
It can be adapted as a modern comparison, but it should not be mistaken for the text’s original subject. The primary work discusses armies, commanders, terrain, deception, logistics, and state conflict. A business reading is a later analogy: useful only when it makes that historical boundary explicit and does not turn military violence into a promise of commercial success.