Preview

Introduction of Sun Zi’s Art of War

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
566 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Introduction of Sun Zi’s Art of War
Introduction of Sun Zi’s Art of War

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Zi, a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician. The text is composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare. It is commonly known to be the definitive work on military strategy and tactics of its time. It has been the most famous and influential of China's Seven Military Classics, and "for the last two thousand years it remained the most important military treatise in Asia, where even the common people knew it by name." It has had an influence on Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy and beyond.

In this well-known book, Sun Zi puts forward many important principles in military operations. He says, "Winning a victory and subduing the enemy without fighting is the highest excellence." War is not for slaughter; if you win without fighting, the way you can do so is the greatest military strategy, Sun Zi in his book stresses, "To attack where the enemy is unprepared and hit when it is unexpected" is another wise observation." Military operations should aim at speedy victory and not prolonged campaigns." "Know both the enemy and yourself, you will fight a hundred battles without danger of defeat." All these principles are, unquestionably, significant even in military strategies in the world today.

The thirteen military essays in The Art of War form a systematic military work. Each essay discusses one problem, but thirteen essays constitute an organic whole, which can never be taken separately.

The Art of War actually discusses how to win, which is not limited to military operations. Its significance has been enlarged to many fields, such as commercial affairs, management, athletic competitions, etc. Everyone who reads it carefully may acquire the key to victory.
Background of Procter & Gamble

William Procter, a candlemaker, and James Gamble, a soapmaker, emigrated from

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The essays by Ambrose, Broyles, Hedges, Kudo, and Styron collectively discuss War in varying contexts, highlighting the effects both before and after war. Some articles intersect on the supporting the idea of another, while others clearly hold opposing views.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The two authors of this book were Allan R. Millett and Peter Maslowski. Maslowski, the author of chapters one through nine, is a professor of U.S. Military History and U.S. History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He earned his Ph. D at Ohio State University and has served on the Army Historical Advisory Committee, the Executive Board of War In History, and the Board of Trustees of the Society for Military History. He holds three prestigious awards for outstanding teaching. Millett , the author of chapters ten through eighteen, is a Professor of Military History at Ohio State University. He also earned his Ph. D at Ohio State. A U.S. Marine Corps officer,…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    hius-308 final essay

    • 1559 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “From a strategic standpoint, the American way of war seeks swift military victory, independent of strategic policy success; the desired political and military outcomes do not always align. When analyzed, this…

    • 1559 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Army has the characteristics of an organization and a profession. “ Learning from our history of post-conflict transitions, we must not allow these professional traits to suffer—because today we are in an era of persistent conflict. There will be no ―peace dividend‖ or ―post-conflict‖ opportunity to relax our guard”…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Clausewitz's Theory Of War

    • 1853 Words
    • 8 Pages

    While many scholars attempted to theorize war in human history, only few were credited for constructing consistent theories on which people could base and further their understanding of war and warfare. Those include Greek Thucydides, Chinese Sun Tzu, and Indian Kautilya all three from 3-4th century BC; Prussian Carl von Clausewitz and Swiss Antoine-Henry Jomini both from 19th century. All of those prominent theorist had a lot to offer and therefore had great influence on our thinking in war, warfare, and strategy. However, Clausewitz’s theory offers more insight if one carefully and purposely studied the “paradoxical trinity” identified in his…

    • 1853 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “This publication was the fourth of a series on the Army's Professional Military Ethics (PME) that the Army Chief of Staff, General George Casey, started in 2009. General Casey encouraged the Army to think critically about our PME and promote dialog at all levels as we deepen our understanding of what this time-honored source of strength means to the profession today. In his book, Pfaff (2011) explores the cultural values, challenges the Army faces, in a time of persistent irregular conflicts. Pfaff argues that the challenges come from the nature of the conflict. The guerrilla soldiers change the nature of war from forcing your will on your enemy to convincing the enemy to accept your position.” (Pfaff,…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fleming of the 2nd Durham Light Infantry put it. He said that it is not war. It is who can kill the most enemies in the shortest time possible. The proximity of the enemies also allowed men to shout out to their opponents or stick up signs on wooden boards. After a particularly heavy barrage of missiles or bullets.…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Machiavelli's the Prince

    • 1252 Words
    • 6 Pages

    One of the ways a Prince or ruler is to exploit this knowledge is to understand that one of the most important things a ruler must be focused on is war. In order for a nation, empire, or state to remain and continue in its strength its leader must build its foundation on military strength and know the ‘art of war'. "Military power is the foundation and strength of the state. Persuasion alone is not enough for men are bad and inconstant." "A prince therefore must have no other object or thought nor acquire skill in anything, except war, its organization, and its discipline. The art of war is all that is expected of a ruler; and it is so useful that besides enabling hereditary princes to maintain their rule it frequently enables ordinary citizens to become rulers…The first way to lose your state is to neglect the art of war; the first way to win a state is to be skilled in the art of war." Son in order for a ruler or leader to maintain a stable country, he must…

    • 1252 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The book "The Warrior Ethos" written by Steven Pressfield is about what it means to be a warrior, in the present time, and also in ancient times. In the book it gives many examples such as the ancient Spartans as well as modern day war fighters such as the Marines. It also discusses the differences and similarities as to what the warrior ethos actually means to the individual, as well as to the unit. The author breaks the book into three parts, academies of war, the external war, and finally the last part, inner wars. These three parts essentially start from the ground and work their way up. The academies of war is basically giving examples of real stories where military members showed the meaning of the warrior ethos. For example, Pressfield brings up that in ancient Greek times, when King Leonidas chose the three hundred Spartan warriors to march on Thermopylae based on their wives and mothers. He knew they were going to die and he chose the warriors based on how their families would react to the war effort. Positive reactions from the families of the fallen soldiers creates a positive reaction in the populous. The second part, the external war, is exactly that. How we implement the warrior ethos in an actual battle. The author elaborates on how militaries that are born and raised in harsh environments tend to thrive when they go to battle somewhere else that is less demanding of them. He also discusses how battles and struggles bring soldiers closer and create a brotherhood that is like none other, in the sense that they will die for each other without hesitation. The third and final part, inner wars, is about what the warrior ethos means to each individual, and how it is almost always the same for each person. At first mentions that as warriors, we must always been mindful of consequences, because unlike civilians, consequences are very real in our world.And in turn, we must temper our "brute aggression" with…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Throughout history, literature has glorified war as a romantic event, where men won honor through acts of heroism. Many novels have been written to this effect. What is war, really, though? The one fact that people seem to forget is that no matter how just or righteous a cause is, war only produces death and destruction. Most war literature is about generals winning their glorious campaigns. Not often is the story told from the viewpoint of the common soldier who is fighting and dying. Few books show this side of war, the ugly…

    • 2253 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gwendolyn Brooks ' "First fight. Then Fiddle" initially seems to argue for the necessity of brutal war in order to create a space for the pursuit of beautiful art. The poem is more complex, however, because it also implies both that war cannot protect art and that art should not justify war.…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    H 101

    • 5681 Words
    • 23 Pages

    • Although analysis of military history is the primary engine of theory and doctrine, their interrelationship…

    • 5681 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    - The Purpose is meant to show the primitiveness of the two and too show war is very unpredictable, wild, dangerous, powerful...etc…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The act of war has been depicted in art since the beginning of human cultural development. Three famous works spanning the neoclassical, romantic and post-impressionism periods have expressed a wide range of emotion by the artists when visually describing both the honor and horror of war. “The Oath of the Horatii” by Jacques-Louis David, “The Third of May 1808, the Execution of the Defenders of Madrid” by Francisco Goya, and “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso are three unique works that consist of a wide array of artistic elements to show what their creators thought about war.…

    • 595 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Military Ethics

    • 1089 Words
    • 5 Pages

    War has always been, and will always be, a necessary action perpetrated by the human race. There are many different reasons for war: rage, passion, greed, defense, and religion to name a few. When differences cannot be solved or compromised through mediation with an opposing party and anger burns with a fiery passion, war is the last remaining option. Obviously, the purpose of any war is to win. How are wars won? Perhaps if we were to ask a member of the Defense Department during the early stages of the war in Iraq, his answer might be, “To win this war we must force the enemy into submission by means of ethical warfare.” If we were to ask a marine in the Second World War what he was told by his commanding officer he would reply, “To close with the enemy and destroy him.” (Fussell, 763).…

    • 1089 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics