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“The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and
death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which
can on no account be neglected.” So begins The Art of War, a meditation on
the rules of war that was first published in China. Historians don’t know the
exact date of the book’s publication (though they believe it to be in the 4th or
5th century); in fact, they don’t even know who wrote it! Scholars have long
believed that The Art of War’s author was a Chinese military leader named
Sun Tzu, or Sunzi. Today, however, many people think that there was no Sun
Tzu: Instead, they argue, the book is a compilation of generations of Chinese
theories and teachings on military strategy. Whether or not Sun Tzu was a
real person, it’s clear that “he” was very wise: The Art of War still resonates
with readers today.
As the story goes, the king of one of the feuding vassal states challenged
Sun Tzu to prove his military expertise by turning a harem of royal courtesans
into an organized, well-trained fighting force. At first, the courtesans failed to
perform their duties; in response, Sun Tzu beheaded two of the king’s
favorites in front of everyone. After that, the courtesan armies followed orders
perfectly, and the king was so impressed that he put Sun Tzu in charge of his
whole military.
For more than 1,000 years, rulers and scholars across Asia consulted The Art
of War as they plotted their military maneuvers and imperial conquests.
Japanese samurai, for example, studied it closely. However, it did not reach
the Western world until the end of the 18th century, when a Jesuit missionary
translated the book into French. (Historians say that the French emperor
Napoleon was the first Western leader to follow its teachings.) It was finally
translated into English in 1905.
Meanwhile, executives and lawyers use the teachings of The Art of War to
get the upper hand in negotiations and to win trials. Business-school
professors assign the book to their students and sports coaches use it to win
games. It has even been the subject of a self-help dating guide. Plainly, this
2,500-year-old book still resonates with a 21st-century audience.