Sun Wu, or Sun Tzu, (fl. late 6th century BCE), a renowned military strategist of the late Spring and Autumn period, is regarded as the founder of the Chinese “School of Military Thought” and revered by later generations as “Sunzi” (“Master Sun”). His courtesy name was Changqing, and he was a native of the state of Qi.
Sun Wu was a descendant of the powerful Tian (or Chen) clan of Qi. His grandfather, Tian Shu, distinguished himself in a campaign against the state of Ju (modern-day Ju County, Shandong) and was granted the surname Sun by Duke Jing of Qi in recognition of his service; his descendants thereafter adopted this new surname.
In 532 BCE (the 13th year of King Jing of Zhou), internal strife erupted in Qi as the Tian and Bao clans clashed with the Luan and Gao clans. To escape the turmoil, Sun Wu fled to the state of Wu.
After arriving in Wu, he lived in seclusion for many years, devoting himself to the study of warfare. Drawing on centuries of military experience – especially from the Spring and Autumn period – he synthesized his insights into a systematic treatise: the Thirteen Chapters of The Art of War.
His opportunity came when King Helü of Wu ascended the throne, determined to challenge the hegemony of Chu and establish Wu as a dominant power. With the strong backing of Wu Zixu, a prominent exiled minister from Chu who had become Helü’s chief advisor, Sun Wu was repeatedly recommended to the king. He presented his Art of War to Helü, who was deeply impressed and appointed him as a general.
Sun Wu was famed for his strict military discipline. A well-known anecdote recorded in Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian – Shiji recounts how, to demonstrate the importance of obedience, he drilled the king’s palace women as soldiers and – despite royal protests – executed two of the king’s favorite concubines for violating commands, thereby proving that no one, not even the ruler’s favorites, was above military law.
Under his leadership, Wu achieved stunning victories: it defeated the mighty state of Chu to the west and projected its power northward, intimidating Qi and Jin, thus elevating Wu to prominence among the feudal states.
His treatise, The Art of War (Sunzi Bingfa), became one of the most influential works on strategy in human history – celebrated for its profound, concise, and universally applicable principles of warfare, leadership, and statecraft. Translated into dozens of languages, it remains essential reading in military academies, business schools, and diplomatic circles worldwide.
For these contributions, Sun Wu earned the enduring title “Sage of War”, securing his place as a towering figure in both Chinese and global intellectual history.
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