Editing Sun Tzu (section)

==''The Art of War''==
{{Main|The Art of War}}
[[File:Bamboo book - binding - UCR.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A copy of ''The Art of War'' written on bamboo|alt=A bamboo book]]

''[[The Art of War]]'' is traditionally ascribed to Sun Tzu. It presents a [[philosophy of war]] for managing conflicts and winning battles. It is accepted as a [[masterpiece]] on strategy and has been frequently cited and referred to by generals and theorists since it was first published, translated, and distributed internationally.<ref name="McNeilly1">{{harvnb|McNeilly|2001|p=5}}.</ref>

There are numerous theories concerning when the text was completed and concerning the identity of the author or authors, but archeological recoveries show ''The Art of War'' had taken roughly its current form by at least the early [[Han dynasty|Han]] period.<ref>{{harvnb|Sawyer|2007|p=423}}.</ref> Because it is impossible to prove definitively when the ''Art of War'' was completed before this date, the differing theories concerning the work's author or authors and date of completion are unlikely to be completely resolved.<ref>{{harvnb|Sawyer|2007|p=150}}.</ref> Some modern scholars believe that it contains not only the thoughts of its original author but also commentary and clarifications from later military theorists, such as [[Li Quan (general)|Li Quan]] and [[Du Mu]].{{Cn|date=May 2023}}

Of the military texts written before the [[Qin's wars of unification|unification of China]] and [[Qin Shi Huang|Shi Huangdi]]'s subsequent [[Burning of books and burying of scholars|book burning]] in the second century BC, six major works have survived. During the much later [[Song dynasty]], these six works were combined with a [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] text into a collection called the ''[[Seven Military Classics]]''. As a central part of that compilation, ''The Art of War'' formed the foundations of orthodox military theory in early modern China. Illustrating this point, the book was required reading to pass the tests for imperial appointment to military positions.<ref>{{harvnb|Sawyer|1994|pp=13–14}}.</ref>

Sun Tzu's ''The Art of War'' uses language that may be unusual in a Western text on warfare and strategy.<ref>{{harvnb|Simpkins|Simpkins|1999|pp=131–133}}.</ref> For example, the eleventh chapter states that a leader must be "serene and inscrutable" and capable of comprehending "unfathomable plans". The text contains many similar remarks that have long confused Western readers lacking an awareness of the [[East Asian religions|East Asian context]]. The meanings of such statements are clearer when interpreted in the context of [[Taoism|Taoist]] thought and practice.

The text outlines theories of battle, but also advocates diplomacy and the cultivation of relationships with other nations as essential to the health of a state.<ref name="McNeilly1" />

On 10 April 1972, the [[Yinqueshan Han Tombs]] were accidentally unearthed by construction workers in [[Shandong]].<ref name=shandong>{{citation|title=Yinqueshan Han Bamboo Slips|url=http://www.sdwenbo.com/art.asp?id=26&type=6|date=24 April 2008|publisher=[[Shandong Provincial Museum]]|language=zh|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195157/http://www.sdwenbo.com/art.asp?id=26&type=6|archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref><ref name="Clements">{{citation|last=Clements|first=Jonathan|title=The Art of War: A New Translation|date= 2012|publisher=Constable & Robinson Ltd|isbn=978-1-78033-131-7|pages=77–78}}</ref>
Scholars uncovered a [[Yinqueshan Han Slips|collection of ancient texts]] written on unusually well-preserved [[bamboo slips]]. Among them were ''The Art of War'' and [[Sun Bin]]'s ''Military Methods''.<ref name="Clements"/> Although Han dynasty bibliographies noted the latter publication as extant and written by a descendant of Sun, it had previously been lost. The rediscovery of Sun Bin's work is regarded as extremely important by scholars, both because of Sun Bin's relationship to Sun Tzu and because of the work's addition to the body of military thought in Chinese late antiquity.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sydney Wen-Jang Chu|last2=Cheng-Yu Lee|date=16 January 2013|title=Just another Masterpiece: the Differences between Sun Tzu's the Art of War and Sun Bin's the Art of War|url=http://www.airitilibrary.com/Publication/alDetailedMesh?docid=P20121108003-201301-201302010022-201302010022-59-73|journal=健行學報|volume=33|issue=1|issn=1817-6755}}</ref>
The discovery as a whole significantly expanded the body of surviving [[Warring States]] military theory. Sun Bin's treatise is the only known military text surviving from the Warring States period discovered in the twentieth century and bears the closest similarity to ''The Art of War'' of all surviving texts.