Sun Zi’s Art of War was written by Sun Wu in the final year of the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC – 476BC).
It is not only the oldest Chinese military work in existence but also the oldest book of military theory in the world, well-known for a long time in the history of the military academy in China and abroad.
Sun Zi’s Art of War has altogether 13 chapters. Both concise and comprehensive, this book sum up the experience of ancient wars, bring to light the many laws of war which are of universal significance.
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| Sun Zi Bing Fa listening and reading(Mp3 + Pinyin book) | |
| I. Laying Plans – ji pian di yi | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. | |
| II. Waging War – zuo zhan pian di er | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots,as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them a thousand li, the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests,small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men. | |
| III. Attack by Stratagem – mou gong pian di san | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them. | |
| IV. Tactical Dispositions – xing pian di si | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. | |
| V. Energy – shi pian di wu | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers. | |
| VI. Weak Points and Strong – xu shi pian di liu | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. |
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| VII. Maneuvering – jun zheng pian di qi | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign. | |
| VIII. Variation in Tactics – jiu bian pian di ba | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forces. | |
| IX. The Army on the March – xing jun pian di jiu | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: We come now to the question of encamping the army, and observing signs of the enemy. Pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the neighborhood of valleys. | |
| X. Terrain – di xing pian di shi | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: (1) Accessible ground; (2) entangling ground; (3) temporizing ground; (4) narrow passes; (5) precipitous heights; (6) positions at a great distance from the enemy. | |
| XI. The Nine Situations – jiu di pian di shi yi | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: The art of war recognizes nine varieties of ground: (1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground; (3) contentious ground; (4) open ground; (5) ground of intersecting highways; (6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground; (8) hemmed-in ground; (9) desperate ground. | |
| XII. The Attack by Fire – huo gong pian di shi er | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: There are five ways of attacking with fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp; the second is to burn stores; the third is to burn baggage trains; the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines; the fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy. | |
| XIII. The Use of Spies – yong jian pian di shi san | Listen Online Download |
| Sun Tzu said: Raising a host of a hundred thousand men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss on the people and a drain on the resources of the State. The daily expenditure will amount to a thousand ounces of silver. There will be commotion at home and abroad, and men will drop down exhausted on the highways. As many as seven hundred thousand families will be impeded in their labor. | |
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