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==Chapters== ''The Art of War'' is divided into 13 chapters (or {{transliteration|zh|piān}}); the collection is referred to as being one {{transliteration|zh|zhuàn}} ("whole" or alternatively "chronicle"). {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+ ''The Art of War'' chapter names and contents |- ! Chapter ! [[Lionel Giles]] (1910)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sunzi |trans-title=The art of war |title=Sun-tzu ping fa |date=2009 |publisher=El Paso Norte Press |translator=Lionel Giles |editor=Shawn Conners |isbn=978-1-934255-15-5 |edition=Classic |location=El Paso, TX |oclc=433665014}}</ref> ! R. L. Wing (1988) ! Ralph D. Sawyer (1996) ! Chow-Hou Wee (2003) ! [[Michael Nylan]] (2020) ! Contents |- | I | Laying Plans | The Calculations | Initial Estimations | Detail Assessment and Planning<br/>({{lang-zh|links=yes|p=shîjì|t=始計}}) | First Calculations | style="text-align:left;" | Explores the five fundamental factors (the Way, seasons, terrain, leadership, and management) and seven elements (which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the way or moral law, which side's general is more capable, which side has superior in right time and right place, which side's laws and regulations can be enforced more strictly, which side has more resources, better equipment and stronger army, which side's officers and men are more well-trained and more capable of fighting, which side's rewards and punishments are more fair and clear) that determine the outcomes of military engagements. By thinking, assessing and comparing these points, a commander can calculate his chances of victory. Habitual deviation from these calculations will ensure failure via improper action. The text stresses that war is a very grave matter for the state and must not be commenced without due consideration. |- | II | Waging War | The Challenge | Waging War | Waging War<br/>({{zhi|t=作戰|p=zuòzhàn}}) | Initiating Battle | style="text-align:left;" | Explains how to understand the economy of warfare and how success requires winning decisive engagements quickly. This section advises that successful military campaigns require limiting the cost of competition and conflict. |- | III | Attack by Stratagem | The Plan of Attack | Planning Offensives | Strategic Attack<br/>({{zhi|t=謀攻}}) | Planning an Attack | style="text-align:left;" | Defines the source of strength as unity, not size, and discusses the five factors that are needed to succeed in any war. In order of importance, these critical factors are: Attack, Strategy, Alliances, Army and Cities. |- | IV | Tactical Dispositions | Positioning | Military Disposition | Disposition of the Army<br/>({{zhi|t=軍形}}) | Forms to Perceive | style="text-align:left;" | Explains the importance of defending existing positions until a commander is capable of advancing from those positions in safety. It teaches commanders the importance of recognizing strategic opportunities, and teaches not to create opportunities for the enemy. |- | V | Use of Energy | Directing | Strategic Military Power | Forces<br/>({{zhi|t=兵勢}}) | The Disposition of Power | style="text-align:left;" | Explains the use of creativity and timing in building an army's momentum. |- | VI | Weak Points and Strong | Illusion and Reality | Vacuity and Substance | Weaknesses and Strengths<br/>({{zhi|t=虛實}}) | Weak and Strong | style="text-align:left;" | Explains how an army's opportunities come from the openings in the environment caused by the relative weakness of the enemy and how to respond to changes in the fluid battlefield over a given area. |- | VII | Maneuvering an Army | Engaging The Force | Military Combat | Military Maneuvers<br/>({{zhi|t=軍爭}}) | Contending Armies | style="text-align:left;" | Explains the dangers of direct conflict and how to win those confrontations when they are forced upon the commander. |- | VIII | Variation of Tactics | The Nine Variations | Nine Changes | Variations and Adaptability<br/>({{zhi|t=九變}}) | Nine Contingencies | style="text-align:left;" | Focuses on the need for flexibility in an army's responses. It explains how to respond to shifting circumstances successfully. |- | IX | The Army on the March | Moving The Force | Maneuvering the Army | Movement and Development of Troops<br/>({{zhi|t=行軍}}) | Fielding the Army | style="text-align:left;" | Describes the different situations in which an army finds itself as it moves through new enemy territories, and how to respond to these situations. Much of this section focuses on evaluating the intentions of others. |- | X | Classification of Terrain | Situational Positioning | Configurations of Terrain | Terrain<br/>({{zhi|t=地形}}) | Conformations of the Lands | style="text-align:left;" | Looks at the three general areas of resistance (distance, dangers and barriers) and the six types of ground positions that arise from them. Each of these six field positions offers certain advantages and disadvantages. |- | XI | The Nine Situations | The Nine Situations | Nine Terrains | The Nine Battlegrounds<br/>({{zhi|t=九地}}) | Nine Kinds of Ground | style="text-align:left;" | Describes the nine common situations (or stages) in a campaign, from scattering to deadly, and the specific focus that a commander will need in order to successfully navigate them. |- | XII | Attack by Fire | The Fiery Attack | Incendiary Attacks | Attacking with Fire<br/>({{zhi|t=火攻}}) | Attacks with Fire | style="text-align:left;" | Explains the general use of weapons and the specific use of the environment as a weapon. This section examines the five targets for attack, the five types of environmental attack and the appropriate responses to such attacks. |- | XIII | Use of Spies | The Use of Intelligence | Employing Spies | Intelligence and Espionage<br/>({{zhi|t=用間}}) | Using Spies | style="text-align:left;" | Focuses on the importance of developing good information sources, and specifies the five types of intelligence sources and how to best manage each of them. |}
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