[PDF]The art of war: the oldest military treatise in the world

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UN Tzu


ON THE


ART OF WA.R


THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD


TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE WITH INTRODUCTION
AND CRITICAL NOTES


BY


LIONEL GILES, M. A.

Assistant in the Department of Oriental Printed Books & MSS.
in the British Museum.


LONDON

LUZAC & C°.
1910


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PRINTED BY E. J. BBILL, LEYDEN (Holland).


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CONTENTS


Page

PREFACE vii

INTRODUCTION

Sun Wu and his Book xi

The Text of Sun Tzu xxx

The Commentators xxxiv

Appreciations of Sun Tzu xlii

Apologies for war xliii

Bibliography 1

Chap. I. Laying Plans i

II. Waging War 9

„ III. Attack by Stratagem 17

„ IV. Tactical Dispositions 26

„ V. Energy 33

„ VI._Weak Points and Strong 42

„ VIL Manoeuvring 55

„ VIII. Variation of Tactics 71

IX,-Xhe Army on the March 80

Terrain 100

The Nine Situations 114

The Attack by Fire 150

„" XIII. The Use of Spies . 160

CHINESE CONCORDANCE 176

INDEX 192


PREFACE


The seventh volume of "Memoires concernant 1'histoire,
les sciences, les arts, les mceurs, les usages, &c., des
Chinois"1 is devoted to the Art of War, and contains,
amongst other treatises, "Les Treize Articles de Sun-tse, "
translated from the Chinese by a Jesuit Father, Joseph
Amiot. Pere Amiot appears to have enjoyed no small
reputation as a sinologue in his day, and the field of his
labours was certainly extensive. But his so-called trans-
lation of Sun Tzu, if placed side by side with the original,
is seen at once to be little better than an imposture. It
contains a great deal that Sun Tzu did not write, and
very little indeed of what he did. Here is a fair speci-
men, taken from the opening sentences of chapter 5 : —

De Vhabilete dans le gouvernement des Troupes. Sun-tse dit : Ayez les
noms de tous les Officiers tant generaux que subalternes; inscrivez-les
dans un catalogue a part, avec la note des talents & de la capacite de
chacun d'eux, afin de pouvoir les employer avec avantage lorsque 1'oc-
casion en sera venue. Faites en sorte que tous ceux que vous devez
commander soient persuades que votre principale attention est de les
preserver de tout dommage. Les troupes que vous ferez avancer centre
1'ennemi doivent etre comme des pierres que vous lanceriez centre des
oeufs. De vous a 1'ennemi il ne doit y avoir d'autre difference que celle
du fort au foible, du vuide au plein. Attaquez a decouvert, mais soyez
vainqueur en secret. Voila en peu de mots en quoi consiste 1'habilete &
toute la perfection meme du gouvernement des troupes.

Throughout the nineteenth century, which saw a wonder-
ful development in the study of Chinese literature, no
translator ventured to tackle Sun Tzu, although his work
was known to be highly valued in China as by far the

1 Published at Paris in 1782.


vm PREFACE

oldest and best compendium of military science. It wa;
not until the year 1905 that the first English translation
by Capt. E. F. Calthrop, R.F.A., appeared at Tokyo
under the title "Sonshi" (the Japanese form of Sun Tzu).
Unfortunately, it was evident that the translator's know
ledge of Chinese was far too scanty to fit him to grappl(
with the manifold difficulties of Sun Tzu. He himsel
plainly acknowledges that without the aid of two Japanes<
gentlemen "the accompanying translation would have beer
impossible." We can only wonder, then, that with thei
help it should have been so excessively bad. It is no
merely a question of downright blunders, from which non<
can hope to be wholly exempt. Omissions were frequent
hard passages were wilfully distorted or slurred over. Sucl
offences are less pardonable. They would not be tolerate(
in any edition of a Greek or Latin classic, and a simila
standard of honesty ought to be insisted upon in trans
lations from Chinese.

From blemishes of this nature, at least, I believe tha
the present translation is free. It was not undertake!
out of any inflated estimate of my own powers; but
could not help feeling that Sun Tzu deserved a bette
fate than had befallen him, and I knew that, at any rate
I could hardly fail to improve on the work of my predeces
sors. Towards the end of 1908, a new and revised editioi
of Capt. Calthrop's translation was published in London
this time, however, without any allusion to his Japanes
collaborators. My first three chapters were then alread;
in the printer's hands, so that the criticisms of Capl
Calthrop therein contained must be understood as refer
ring to his earlier edition. In the subsequent chapters
have of course transferred my attention to the secon>
edition. This is on the whole an improvement on th
other, though there still remains much that cannot pas


1 A rather distressing Japanese flavour pervades the work throughout. Thus, Kir
Ho Lu masquerades as "Katsuryo," Wu and Yu'eh become "Go" and "Etsu," etc. etc,


PREFACE IX

muster. Some of the grosser blunders have been rectified
and lacunae filled up, but on the other hand a certain
number of new mistakes appear. The very first sentence
of the introduction is startlingly inaccurate; and later on,
while mention is made of "an army of Japanese com-
mentators" on Sun Tzu (who are these, by the way?), not
a word is vouchsafed about the Chinese commentators,
who nevertheless, I venture to assert, form a much more
numerous and infinitely more important "army."

A few special features of the present volume may now
be noticed. In the first place, the text has been cut up
into numbered paragraphs, both in order to facilitate cross-
reference and for the convenience of students generally.
The division follows broadly that of Sun Hsing-yen's edition ;
but I have sometimes found it desirable to join two or
more of his paragraphs into one. In quoting from other
works, Chinese writers seldom give more than the bare
title by way of reference, and the task of research is apt
to be seriously hampered in consequence. With a view
to obviating this difficulty so far as Sun Tzu is concerned,
I have also appended a complete concordance of Chinese
characters, following in this the admirable example of
Legge, though an alphabetical arrangement has been
preferred to the distribution under radicals which he
adopted. Another feature borrowed from "The Chinese
Classics" is the printing of text, translation and notes on
the same page ; the notes, however, are inserted, according
to the Chinese method, immediately after the passages to
which they refer. From the mass of native commentary
my aim has been to extract the cream only, adding the
Chinese text here and there when it seemed to present
points of literary interest. Though constituting in itself
an important branch of Chinese literature, very little com-
mentary of this kind has hitherto been made directly acces-
sible by translation. l

1 A notable exception is to be found in Biot's edition of the Chou Li.


X PREFACE

I may say in conclusion that, owing to the printing off
of my sheets as they were completed, the work has not
had the benefit of a final revision. On a review of the
whole, without modifying the substance of my criticisms,
I might have been inclined in a few instances to temper
their asperity. Having chosen to wield a bludgeon, how-
ever, I shall not cry out if in return I am visited with
more than a rap over the knuckles. Indeed, I have been
at some pains to put a sword into the hands of future
opponents by scrupulously giving either text or reference
for every passage translated. A scathing review, even from
the pen of the Shanghai critic who despises "mere trans-
lations," would not, I must confess, be altogether unwel-
come. For, after all, the worst fate I shall have to dread
is that which befel the ingenious paradoxes of George in
The Vicar of Wakefield.


INTRODUCTION


SUN Wu AND HIS BOOK.

Ssu-ma Ch'ien gives the following biography of Sun
Tzu:1- *


Sun Tzu Wu was a native of the Cn'i State. His Art
of War brought him to the notice of f|fj IS Ho Lu, 2 King of 1^
Wu. Ho Lu said to him: I have carefully perused your 13 chapters.
May I submit your theory of managing soldiers to a slight test? — Sun
Tzu replied: You may. — Ho Lu asked: May the test be applied to
women? — The answer was again in the affirmative, so arrangements
were made to bring 180 ladies out of the Palace. Sun Tzu divided them
into two companies, and placed one of the King's favourite concubines
at the head of each. He then bade them all take spears in their hands,
and addressed them thus: I presume you know the difference between
front and back, right hand and left hand? — The girls replied: Yes. -
Sun Tzu went on: When I say "Eyes front," you must look straight
ahead. When I say "Left turn," you must face towards your left hand.
When I say "Right turn," you must face towards your right hand. When
I say "About turn," you must face right round towards the back. —
Again the girls assented. The words of command having been thus ex--
plained, he set up the halberds and battle-axes in order to begin the drill.
Then, to the sound of drums, he gave the order "Right turn." But the
girls only burst out laughing. Sun Tzu said : If words of command are
not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the
general is to blame. — So he started drilling them again, and this time
gave the order "Left turn," whereupon the girls once more burst into
fits of laughter. Sun Tzu said : If words of command are not clear and
distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame.
But if his orders are clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it
is the fault of their officers. — So saying, he ordered the leaders of the
two companies to be beheaded. Now the King of Wu was watching the

1 Shih Chi, ch. 6s.

2 Also written ^ Rf| Ho LU. He reigned from 514 to 496 B.C.


xn INTRODUCTION

scene from the top of a raised pavilion ; and when he saw that his fa-
vourite concubines were about to be executed, he was greatly alarmed
and hurriedly sent down the following message: We are now quite satis-
fied as to our general's ability to handle troops. If We are bereft of these
two concubines, our meat and drink will lose their savour. It is our
wish that they shall not be beheaded. — Sun Tzu replied: Having once
received His Majesty's commission to be general of his forces, there are
certain commands of His Majesty which, acting in that capacity, I am
unable to accept. — Accordingly, he had the two leaders beheaded, and
straightway installed the pair next in order as leaders in their place.
When this had been done, the drum was sounded for the drill once more ;
and the girls went through all the evolutions, turning to the right or to
the left, marching ahead or wheeling back, kneeling or standing, with
perfect accuracy and precision, not venturing to utter a sound. Then
Sun Tzu sent a messenger to the King saying: Your soldiers, Sire, are
now properly drilled and disciplined, and ready for Your Majesty's in-
spection. They can be put to any use that their sovereign may desire;
bid them go through fire and water, and they will not disobey. — But
the King replied: Let our general cease drilling and return to camp. As
for us, We have no wish to come down and inspect the troops. — There-
upon Sun Tzu said: The King is only fond of words, and cannot trans-
late them into deeds. — After that, Ho Lu saw that Sun Tzu was one
who knew how to handle an army, and finally appointed him general.
In the West, he defeated the G§Ji__State and forced his way into Yin
the capital; to the north, he put fear into the States of Ch'i and Chin,
and spread his fame abroad amongst the feudal princes. And Sun Tzu
shared in the might of the King.

About Sun Tzu himself this is all that Ssu-ma Ch'ien
has to tell us in this chapter. But he proceeds to give
a biography of his descendant, J$fr Jj|| Sun Pin, born about
a hundred years after his famous ancestor's death, and
also the outstanding military genius of his time. The
historian speaks of him too as Sun Tzu, and in his preface
we read: % -f- $f jjjj] ft) jfft _E| j£ "Sun Tzu had his feet
cut off and yet continued to discuss the art of war." l
It seems likely, then, that "Pin" was a nickname bestowed
on him after his mutilation, unless indeed the story was
invented in order to account for the name. The crowning
incident of his career, the crushing defeat of his treacherous
rival P'ang Chuan, will be found briefly related on p. 40.

1 Shih Chi, ch. 130 , f. 6 r°.


INTRODUCTION XIII

To return to the elder Sun Tzu. He is mentioned in
two other passages of the Shih Chi: -

In the third year of his reign [512 B.C.] Ho Lu, King of Wu, took
the field with -^ ^ Tzu-hsu [i.e. f£ J| Wu Yiian] and f£j g-g Po
P'ei, and attacked Ch'u. He captured the town of ^ Shu and slew
the two prince's sons who had formerly been generals of Wu. He was
then meditating a descent on §±|$ Ying [the capital]; but the general
Sun Wu said: "The army is exhausted. ' It is not yet possible. We
must wait". . . . 2 [After further successful fighting,] "in the ninth year
[506 B.C.], King Ho Lu of Wu addressed Wu Tzu-hsii and Sun Wu,
saying: "Formerly, you declared that it was not yet possible for us to
enter Ying. Is the time ripe now?" The two men replied: "ChVs
general, -^ ^ Tzu-ch'ang, 3 is grasping and covetous, and the princes
of HI* T'ang and ^^ Ts'ai both have a grudge against him. If Your
Majesty has resolved to make a grand attack, you must win over T'ang
and Ts'ai, and then you may succeed." Ho Lu followed this advice,
[beat Ch'u in five pitched battles and marched into Ying]. 4

This is the latest date at which anything is recorded
of Sun Wu. He does not appear to have survived his
patron, who died from the effects of a wound in 496.

In the chapter entitled ffit fj (the earlier portion of
which M. Chavannes believes to be a fragment of a treatise
on Military Weapons), there occurs this passage : 5

From this time onward, a number of famous soldiers arose, one after
the other : ^~ ;||J Kao-fan, 6 who was employed by the Chin State ;
Wang-tzu, 7 in the service of Ch'i; and Sun Wu, in the service of Wu.
These men developed and threw light upon the principles of war ( m


1 I note that M. Chavannes translates f& *^ "le peuple est e"puise." But in
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