''Sun Bin's Art of War'' is an ancient Chinese classic work on

military strategy Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek word ''strategos'', the term strategy, when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sen ...

written by

Sun Bin Sun Bin (died 316 BC) was a Chinese general, military strategist, and writer who lived during the Warring States period of Chinese history. A supposed descendant of Sun Tzu, Sun was tutored in military strategy by the hermit Guiguzi. He ...

, a supposed descendant of

Sun Tzu Sun Tzu ( ; zh, t=孫子, s=孙子, first= t, p=Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period of 771 to 256 BCE. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of ''The ...

, who served as a military strategist in the Qi state during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

. According to historical records from the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a war ...

, ''Sun Bin's Art of War'' contained 89 chapters, with four volumes of pictures attached, but it was lost by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. ''Sun Bin's Art of War'' and Sun Tzu's ''

The Art of War ''The Art of War'' () is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 5th century BC). The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun"), is comp ...

'' though similar in name are individual works.

Rediscovery

In April 1972, bamboo parchments of both

's and

's works were unearthed in the Yinque Hills (

Linyi Linyi () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, China. As of 2011, Linyi is the largest prefecture-level city in Shandong, both by area and population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo ...

city,

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

province). Due to natural deterioration, some of the parchments were damaged and became difficult to read. After the initial collection and studies by experts, the Cultural Relic Press published a new edition of ''Sun Bin's Art of War'', which was divided into two volumes, each containing 15 chapters, with a total of 11,000 words. After a decade of textual research and study, the Cultural Relic Press made a major adjustment to the book: the second volume was no longer considered to be Sun Bin's writings; the first volume was edited and one chapter detailing five types of training was added. The current edition of ''Sun Bin's Art of War'' contains 16 chapters, with a total of 4891 words.

Chapter 1 : Capturing Pang Juan

Describes the four stratagems employed in the

Battle of Guiling The Battle of Guìlíng (桂陵之戰) was fought between the states of Qí and Wei in the Warring States period of Chinese history. In 354 BC, an army from Wèi was laying siege to Handan, the capital of the State of Zhao. The next year, Zh ...

: #A southward march at the initial stage of the war, to avoid a decisive battle with

Pang Juan Pang Juan (died 342 BC) was an ancient Chinese military general of the Wei state during the Warring States period. Life Early life Pang Juan was a fellow student of Sun Bin and both of them studied military strategy together under the tute ...

. #Launching a false attack and feigning retreat and defeat in Pingling, which reinforced Pang Juan's determination to attack

Handan Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shand ...

. #Direct advance on

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nor ...

(capital city of the Wei state) to force Pang Juan to turn back to rescue Wei. #Ambush at Guiling to destroy the enemy in one move.

Chapter 2: Meeting King Wei

Sun Bin discusses with

King Wei of Qi King Wei of Qi (), whose personal name was Tian Yinqi (田因齊), was the king of the northern Chinese state of Qi during the Warring States period, when Qi was one of the most powerful states in China. He reigned from 356 to 320 BC. or accordi ...

about war and states: "Only victory in war can bring about authority and prosperity". Sun believes that the historically progressive unification accomplished in war had been an important means of facilitating the submission of

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structu ...

lords. To start a war, one must have "a storage of materials, a just cause for war" and must "be well-prepared before launching an attack". Sun also pointed out that "Warmongers will inevitably lose and those who expect to make a fortune out of war will also suffer defeat and disgrace".

Chapter 3: King Wei asks for advice

Sun Bin advises King Wei and

Tian Ji Tian Ji (), courtesy name Qi (齐), was a military general of the Qi state during the early Warring States period (4th century BC) of Chinese history. Tian Ji met Sun Bin and recommended him to King Wei of Qi as a military strategist. Tian Ji co ...

, engaging them in a comprehensive discussion on his thoughts about strategy and tactics. The chapter focuses on resolute attacks on weakly defended key enemy positions and on the military philosophy of using

Tao ''Tao'' or ''Dao'' is the natural order of the universe, whose character one's intuition must discern to realize the potential for individual wisdom, as conceived in the context of East Asian philosophy, East Asian religions, or any other phil ...

and flexible principles to attain victory.

Chapter 4: Tian Ji asks how to construct a defence

Set in the

Battle of Maling The Battle of Maling () took place in Maling, currently Dazhangjia Town (), Shen County (), Henan Province, in 342 BC during the Warring States period (476–221 BC). The combatants were the State of Qi, who fought on behalf of the State of H ...

and Tian Ji discuss the problems of battlefield positions in field operations. The combination of terrain, weapons and the types of soldiers is emphasized.

Chapter 5: Selection of the best soldiers

Comments on the basic principles of building and training an army, and on the factors of field command that will determine ''victory'' or ''defeat''. On the topic of building an army,

''focuses'' on the employment of the ''best soldiers'' in terms of field command. He stresses '''five factors that will lead to constant victory''': #''The commander who has won the sovereign's trust and has independent command will win.'' #''The one who knows the art of war will win.'' #''The one who gets uniform support from his soldiers will win.'' #''The one whose subordinates work in concert with each other will win.'' #''The one who is good at analyzing and utilizing terrain will win.'' There are also ''five corollaries'' that will lead to ''constant defeat'': #''The one whose command is constrained by the sovereign will be defeated.'' #''The one who does not know the art of war will be defeated.'' #''The one who does not have the support of his soldiers will be defeated.'' #''The one whose subordinates do not work in harmony will be defeated.'' #''The one who does not know to use spies will be defeated.''

Chapter 7: Eight formations

Discusses the methods of a commander and the principles of battle formation. It emphasizes that a commander must "be well versed in both meteorology and geography. He also must get the support of his people at home, while understanding the actual situation of his enemy. In a direct battle, he knows well the basic points of the eight formations. If one is sure of victory, he will fight; if unsure, he should not fight."

also emphasizes "that in laying a formation, the army can be divided into three divisions. In each, the best soldiers should be placed as a vanguard and every team should be followed with a sustainable reserve." He emphasizes "dividing the army into three teams" and "engaging one team in battle in while leaving the other two strictly in defence."

says that an army must take an advantageous geographical position to attack an enemy in a less defensible position. "When land is flat, there should be more armed chariots; when the terrain is difficult, more cavalry should be sent: and when is narrow and blocked, there should be more archers sent."

Chapter 14: Organization of military posts

Chapter 14 is similar to the military rules and regulations of the later ages. It may be divided into three parts: #Regulations for army organization and command, emphasizing that all types of organizations, units and systems must completely and appropriately meet the requirements for battle. #Regulations for military operations under different enemy situations, different terrain, and different climates. Its focus is to emphasize flexibility in command and in the employment of soldiers, and on the need to make decisions according to the situation. #Specific rules on marching, camping, patrolling, guarding, war preparations and logistics.

References

* C.C. Low & Associates (1997) ''Two Military Sages: Sun Zi and Sun Bin''. Singapore: Canfonian Pte Ltd.

External links

''Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sun Bin's Art Of War Chinese classic texts Chinese military texts Martial arts manuals Military strategy books Zhou dynasty texts Warrior code 4th-century BC books Sun Tzu