Skilled warriors first secure their own invincibility and wait for enemies’ weaknesses. Being unbeatable depends on oneself, while defeating foes relies on their flaws. Victory can be predicted, yet it cannot be forced to happen.
This part presents Sun Tzu’s famous maxim. Knowing both the enemy and yourself guarantees safety in all battles. Knowing only yourself leads to mixed results, while ignorance of both sides will bring certain defeat in every fight.
Sun Tzu puts forward five rules to predict victory: judging battle timing, deploying troops properly, uniting all ranks, staying fully prepared and letting capable generals command freely without royal interference.
After adopting favorable war plans, commanders should build favorable momentum. Sun Tzu defines momentum as flexibly adjusting tactics and making timely decisions based on existing advantages to support military operations.
The Art of War is a foundational treatise on military strategy, traditionally attributed to Sun Wu (commonly known as Sun Tzu), a general and strategist of the late Spring and Autumn period (c. 6th–5th century BCE). Recognized as the world’s oldest extant work on military theory, it holds a place of unparalleled significance in…