The Art of War Chapters: reading order and index

A concise reading-order index

The Art of War is a book of thirteen chapters. This page lists them in reading order with a one-line gloss for each, taken verbatim from the Oriens chapter data record, and a link to each chapter's dedicated page. It is a navigation layer: skim the list here, then jump straight to the chapter you need — each chapter guide owns that chapter's translation notes, context, and interpretation, which are deliberately not repeated on this page.

The chapters are best read in order, because each builds on the previous one: preparation and assessment first, then the conduct of campaigns, and finally the intelligence work that underpins both. When you want more than one line per chapter, the complete guide carries the full reference narrative and table, and the chapter summaries and commentary page offers an editorial reading of every chapter — neither is restated here.

The 13 chapters in reading order

Each entry lists the chapter number, its English label, Chinese title and pinyin, a one-line purpose taken verbatim from the chapter data record, and the canonical route. The entries link out; they do not summarize or translate the chapters.

1. 1Laying Plans 始计 · Shǐ JìThe five fundamentals and seven calculations that determine victory before the battle begins
2. 2Waging War 作战 · Zuò ZhànSpeed, cost, and the economics of conflict — why protracted war benefits no one
3. 3Attack by Stratagem 谋攻 · Móu GōngThe supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting
4. 4Tactical Dispositions 军形 · Jūn XíngFirst make yourself invincible, then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable
5. 5Energy 兵势 · Bīng ShìShi — the strategic advantage that turns ordinary force into overwhelming power
6. 6Weak and Strong Points 虚实 · Xū ShíAvoid strength, strike weakness — the art of emptiness and fullness
7. 7Maneuvering 军争 · Jūn ZhēngThe direct and the indirect — gaining the advantage through movement and positioning
8. 8Variation in Tactics 九变 · Jiǔ BiànThere are roads not to follow, armies not to attack, cities not to besiege, territory not to contest, and commands from the sovereign not to obey — and a general who cannot vary the plan is a danger to the army
9. 9The Army on the March 行军 · Xíng JūnReading the enemy through their movements, camps, and environmental signs
10. 10Terrain 地形 · Dì XíngSix types of ground and six corresponding disasters — know the ground you stand on
11. 11The Nine Situations 九地 · Jiǔ DìNine distinct strategic situations — each demands its own response and leadership approach
12. 12The Attack by Fire 火攻 · Huǒ GōngThe most destructive weapon and the temperance required to wield it
13. 13The Use of Spies 用间 · Yòng JiànForeknowledge is everything — what can only be learned through intelligence

Verification note

Two verification levels apply, and this page keeps them distinct. Within the Oriens chapter data record itself, only chapter 13 carries a registered primary-text citation; chapter 8's sources array cites an in-repo card, and the other chapters carry no per-chapter sources entries in that record. At the route level, however, every one of the thirteen published chapter guides now carries its own Sources and verification notes, including a registered locator to its chapter's page in the Chinese Text Project corpus.

Accordingly, no verse references or quoted passages from any chapter appear on this index as verified: the one-line glosses above are recorded purposes, not translations. The English labels shown here are the ones recorded in the chapter data record, so variant chapter labels from other translations never appear on this surface. The text is traditionally attributed to Sunzi; no dating is asserted anywhere on this page. By contract this surface also carries no FAQ and no duplicate chapter table — its job is orientation, quickly.