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Sun Tzu

Born

Qi or Wu, China

Genre

Military, Philosophy, Politics

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Sun Tzu (traditional Chinese: 孫子; simplified Chinese: 孙子; pinyin: Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thought. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu (traditional Chinese: 孫武; simplified Chinese: 孙武) and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing (Chinese: 長卿). The name Sun Tzu—by which he is more popularly known—is an honorific which means "Master Sun".
Sun Tzu mas Sun Tzu (traditional Chinese: 孫子; simplified Chinese: 孙子; pinyin: Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thought. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu (traditional Chinese: 孫武; simplified Chinese: 孙武) and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing (Chinese: 長卿). The name Sun Tzu—by which he is more popularly known—is an honorific which means "Master Sun".
Sun Tzu mastered the military science of ancient China and created the military doctrine of asymmetrical warfare. According to it, an attack on the enemy should begin only after the enemy has no opportunity to either defend or counterattack. It was used in the wars in the era of the Warring States in ancient China (about 475–221 BC). It differs from the modern interpretation of asymmetric military strategy. The ancient warriors used to call it the Victorious Methods of Warfare (sheng er zhan zhi), but it has the same meaning as the modern asymmetrical military strategy. The ancient professional warriors used it in individual combats against the enemies in the wars. As a result, a variety of armed and unarmed combat combinations have been created for various combat situations as the individual battle plans. Those combat combinations had specific names, descriptions and classifications.
Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. The Han dynasty historian Sima Qian and other traditional Chinese historians placed him as a minister to King Helü of Wu and dated his lifetime to 544–496 BC. Modern scholars accepting his historicity place the extant text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period of 475 to 221 BC, based on its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare. Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since both Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as "Sun Tzu" in classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical, prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.
Sun Tzu's work has been praised and employed throughout the arc of East Asian military history since its composition, and eventually earned global attention. During the twentieth century, The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in the Western world as well. It remains influential in many contemporary competitive endeavors across the modern world beyond military strategy and warfare, including espionage, culture, governance, business, and sports. ...more

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Average rating: 3.94 · 604,479 ratings · 25,706 reviews · 1,583 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Art of War 3.94 avg rating — 588,687 ratings — published -500 — 6589 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art of War/The Art of Warfare 4.14 avg rating — 7,105 ratings — 33 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art of War by Sun Tzu & The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi by Sun Tzu, Miyamoto Musashi 4.33 avg rating — 607 ratings — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art of War/The Book Of Lord Shang by Sun Tzu, Tao Hanzhang, Shang Yang 4.01 avg rating — 566 ratings — published 1997 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Lionel Giles (translator) 3.95 avg rating — 391 ratings — published 2011 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Book of War : Sun-Tzu's "The Art of War" & Karl Von Clausewitz's "On War" by Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, Modern Library 4.12 avg rating — 221 ratings — published 2000 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art of War and Tao Te Ching: Ancient Chinese Wisdom Classics by Sun Tzu, Lao Tzu, Lionel Giles (Translator) 4.10 avg rating — 197 ratings — published 2011 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Art of War and other Laws of Power 4.24 avg rating — 166 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A arte da guerra - mangá by Sun Tzu, Drik Sada (Tradução), Equipe East Press (Adaptação e Ilustração) 3.59 avg rating — 142 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Strategy Six Pack (Illustrated): The Art of War, The Gallic Wars, Life of Charlemagne, The Prince, On War and Battle Studies by Sun Tzu, Gaius Julius Caesar, Einhard 4.21 avg rating — 111 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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June 2016 Old School Classic Poll

1880, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 776 pages

47 votes, 24.0%

5th century BC, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, 273 pages

37 votes, 18.9%

1794, The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, 654 pages

33 votes, 16.8%

1837, The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, 801 pages

20 votes, 10.2%

1830, The Red and the Black by Stendhal, 608 pages

19 votes, 9.7%

1867, In Search of the Castaways; or the Children of Captain Grant by Jules Verne, 432 pages

10 votes, 5.1%

1885, Germinal by Émile Zola, 592 pages

10 votes, 5.1%

1883, The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner, 304 pages

9 votes, 4.6%

440 BC, The Histories by Herodotus, 716 pages

7 votes, 3.6%

1749, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding, 1024 pages

4 votes, 2.0%

196 total votes

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