This excerpt from The Art of War features Sun Tzu’s core viewpoint. He stresses war is crucial to a state, concerning people’s lives and national survival. Thus, leaders must deliberate thoroughly before waging any war.
Sun Tzu puts forward five key elements to assess warfare: morality, heaven, earth, commandership and discipline. Leaders should compare both sides’ strengths based on these factors to fully analyze the real situation before battles.
Sun Tzu puts forward seven criteria to compare rival sides, including virtuous rulers, capable generals and disciplined troops, to judge victory or defeat. He also notes leaving or staying based on whether a general adopts his strategies.
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.
Sun Tzu states warfare relies on deception. He lists various deceptive tactics to mislead, lure and weaken foes. Striking the enemy off guard is the core winning secret, which must be kept strictly confidential.
Sun Tzu emphasizes pre-war deliberation in ancestral temples. Ample thorough plans secure victory, while inadequate ones lead to defeat. Without any planning at all, defeat is inevitable, so we can easily predict the final outcome.
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…