Books Written by Sun Wu
3 min readSun Wu（544-496 BC）was a Chinese author of The Art of War（兵法），an immensely influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy.He is also one of the earliest realists in international relations theory.The name Sun Tzu is an honorific title bestowed upon Sun Wu，the author’s name.The character wu，meaning“military”，is the same as the character in wu shu，or martial art.Sun Wu also has a courtesy name，Chang Qing.
As a Historical Figure The only surviving source on the life of Sun Tzu is the biography written in the 2nd century BC by the historian Sima Qian，who describes him as a general who lived in the state of Wu in the 6th century BC，and therefore a contemporary of one of the great Chinese thinkers of ancient times-Confucius.According to tradition，Sun Tzu was a member of the landless Chinese aristocracy，the shi，descendants of nobility who had lost their dukedoms during the consolidation of the Spring and Autumn Period.Unlike most shi，who were traveling academics，Sun Tzu worked as a mercenary.According to tradition，King Helu of Wu hired Sun Tzu as a general approximately 512 BC after finishing his military treatise，The Art of War.After his hiring，the kingdom of Wu，previously considered a semi-barbaric state，went on to become the most powerful state of the period by conquering Chu，one of the mostpowerful states in the Spring and Autumn Period.Sun Tzu suddenly disappeared when King Helu finally conquered Chu.Therefore his date of death remained unknown.
The historicity of Sun Tzu is discussed extensively in the introduction to Lionel Giles’1910 translation of The Art of War available as a Project Gutenbergonline text.In Giles’introduction to his translation，he expands on the doubt and confusion which has surrounded the historicity of Sun Tzu.
In 1972 a set of bamboo engraved texts were discovered in a grave near Linyi in Shandong.These have helped to confirm parts of the text which were already known and have also added new sections.This version has been dated to between 134-118 BC，and so rules out older theories that parts of the text had been written much later.
Sun Bin，also known as Sun the Mutilated，allegedly a crippled descendent of Sun Tzu，also wrote a text known as the Art of War.A more accurate title might be the Art of Warfare since this was more directly concerned with the practical matters of warfare，rather than military strategy.At least one translator has used the title The Lost Art of War，referring to the long period of time during which Sun Bin’s book was lost.There is，however，no commonality between the content or writing style in Sun Bin and Sun Tzu.
The Art of War has been one of the most popular combat collections in history.
Ancient Chinese have long viewed this book as one of the entrance test materials，and it is one of the most important collections of books in the Chinese literature.
It is said that Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin both read this book while in war.
Books Written by Sun Wu
The Art of War is a Chinese military treatise written during the 6th century BC by Sun Wu.Composed of 13 chapters，each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare，it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategies and tactics of its time.
The Art of War is one of the oldest and most famous studies of strategy and has had a huge influence on Eastern military planning，business tactics，and beyond.
First translated into a European language in 1782 by French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot，it had been credited with influencing Napoleon，the German General Staff，and even the planning of Operation Desert Storm.Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong，Vo Nguyen Giap，and General Douglas MacArthur have claimed to have drawn inspiration from the work.
The Art of War has also been applied，with much success，to business and managerial strategies.
