"لا تفتح على نفسك عدة جبهات في وقت واحد، تحالف مع أحد الأعداء حتى تنتهي من الآخر”.

The fact that a work written in the 5th century BC on military strategy and tactics remains highly relevant today speaks volumes about its enduring quality and the depth of thought behind it. The principles outlined not only apply to military and warfare scenarios but also resonate in the daily lives of "we the people" across various fields—whether they are professionals, businesspeople, or athletes.


The Art of War is a classical work of military strategy that underscores the importance of diligent planning, deception, and understanding the enemy. Authored by Sun Tzu, a Chinese military general, philosopher, and writer, this influential military doctrine highlights, amongst many other concepts, the critical idea that an attack should only occur when the enemy has no means to defend or counterattack.
In the author's own words, "to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting".
After all, at its core, all warfare is based on deception!

As has often been happening in the past, I stumbled upon this book also by chance. One day, while working, a quote on strategic planning popped into my mind, prompting me to search for it on google; only to come across this remarkable work!

Highly recommended!

5/5

someone change my name to George Washington
i'm becoming a general

I definitely never thought i'd want to read a book about Chinese military strategy written in 5th century BC .... yet here we are.
This one turned out to be so interesting.

Sun Tzu's The Art of War is said to be the oldest military treatise in the world. Written centuries before the height of the Chinese empire before the common era, this slim volume did not make its way to the west until 1890, when French colonists brought a copy back to Paris. Regarded as classic by many, I decided to read the treatise for myself. Selecting an edition translated by Lionel Giles, the version I read was a mere 98 pages in length and at times underwhelming.

The first forty pages of the volume I selected was a whirlwind of a rundown of over two thousand years of Chinese history. Not much quantity was given to any particular dynasty or time period, and it seemed as though this introduction was written for a high school text book. It was difficult to keep dates and names straight, and the only significant item that stood out was the construction of the Great Wall and its subsequent expansion. The only saving grace of this introduction was a timeline that contrasted eras of history with Chinese dynasties and their contributions to both Chinese and world history. While I found out that the origins of foot binding occurred nearly one thousand years ago, this historical footnote did little to benefit the actual text and its place in literary history.

Perhaps the edition I read is dated. Currently many western schools teach Chinese to children as young as six so by the time that they are adults, these children turned adults are fluent in Mandarin. Likewise, as China has opened to the west, educated Chinese have knowledge in English. Unfortunately, I was at the liberty of what was available at my library system, and a modern, more fluid translation was not available to me. While it is apparent that Giles has knowledge of Chinese, at times it was hard to follow whether the words were Giles' insights or Sun Tzu's words. Including numerous examples of modern warfare to augment the text, Giles does not give justice to Sun Tzu's original intent. While these examples lend credence to how the Chinese military treatise has been implemented over the years, I was more interested in the original text than the interpretations of it.

Tzu's actual text is limited due to the translation. It does offer advice to militaries as to how to implement battle plans. These include the knowledge of terrain, the season in which to invade, and knowledge of one's enemy and how to overcome one's deficiencies. Giles takes liberties in discussing why certain chapters are included where they are, and I give him credit for taking the time to discuss the Chinese tradition of honor and killing oneself if a soldier committed an error of warfare. I found this especially intriguing in terms of spying and what an honorable Chinese soldier would do when either caught by his enemy or when having failed to deliver information to his superior. As one who enjoys reading about and watching films about modern espionage, I thought it was fascinating that the Chinese had developed rules in regards to spies over two thousand years ago.

The Art of War has been utilized by armies for over two centuries. The fact that it has endured is a testament to Chinese culture and traditions that have remained unspoiled over the millennia. I feel as though I would have enjoyed the treatise more if I had read a more modern version where the translation was seamless and did not indulge on the liberties of the translator. As a result I found myself reading more of the translator's interpretations and addendums than the actual text. I would be interested in reading an unspoiled edition of this classic as it remains relevant in warfare today.

3 stars, downgraded for translation

I read this book on the Ukrainian language. It's pretty small book, but it keeps a lot of not only military wisdom but hacks for common standard life as well. 5 stars from me to this book

At approximately 2,500 years of age, "The Art of War" has not only become one of the predominant guides on successful military warfare, but also a classic of history and philosophy in its own right. Various different editions of this book exist all over the world, and it can't be denied how much influence "The Art of War" had on many events throughout the history of the world.

What I found most interesting was that it could be read in so many different ways. More obviously, it's a guide on military and war, on how to win battles and how to efficiently make use of spies, fire, nature or the weather. But all around those aspects, the text is filled with words of advice which could be adapted to pretty much every scenario of life affected by opposition or antagonism. I can't pretend being eager to adapt those messages to my own life, and I'd definitely argue against living by the rules suggested by this book, but as a historical manuscript, it is incredibly important - and, to my personal surprise, also surprisingly short, meaning that it can be read over the course of one to three hours, depending on how fast you read and how thoroughly you want to explore the book. Furthermore, even if you may expect something completely different from such an old text, the sentences are well-structured, constructed in a very understandable way and generally very comprehensive, though that could be the advantage of the translated edition I've read.

Unless you read it for historical or educational purposes, "The Art of War" can be a very entertaining experience. The proposed tactical advices are interesting and provide some fascinating insight into what people thought 2,500 years ago - and since the book doesn't feel like it's as old as it is at all, also into how people might be thinking nowadays. My highest recommendation; this is definitely one of the important classics everyone should at the very least have taken a look at.

Now I was a senior manager for a number of years and walked the walk as well as talked the talk, I went on many training courses to learn management techniques and was even trained as a trainer for Stephen Covey as well as Tom Peters, so I am more than aware of these techniques, BUT I had never heard of Sun Tzu and apparently he is de rigeur now.
Well all I can say is its not a patch on Covey, I found it boring and somewhat unintelligible albeit interesting, but relevant to management techniques, what ??

Catching up on the classics #1

As I read this book battles from history flashed through my mind. There are so many instances when Sun Tzu’s wisdom rang true into modern times. From formations on various battlegrounds to treatment of troops his sage advice is certain to be followed today if only that would be the type of warfare in which we would deal. Sadly we now have nuclear bombs.

المفروض أن كتاب عبده الصيني هذا من أقدم الكتب في مجال الحروب.

كما أنه في قائمة أهم خمسين كتابا في التاريخ.

يفترض أن هذا الكتاب ألهم الكثير من المحاربين؟ من تشي جيفارا إلى مقاتلي القاعدة.

يُقال أن أفكار (فن الحرب) حفزت العديد من الساسة، المدراء التنفذيين وأخصائيي التسويق، وربما ربات البيوت أيضا.

بناء على كل هذا الافتراضات، بدأت قراءة الكتاب بسقف توقعات عال.

ولكن،،،

تفاجئت أولا بأن الكتاب ليس نثرا عاديا بل على هيئة مقاطع أظنها شعرية. لذا فالنص ليس بالعمق والتفصيل الكافييّن.

استغربت أيضا أن أغلب الأفكار الواردة فطرية ومنطقية ولا تدل على ذكاء معين، مثلا: لا تقاتل من هو أكثر منك عددا وعتادا ويمتلك من الموارد ما ليس عندك.... هل أحتاج لقراءة كتاب كي أعرف هذه النقطة؟
لا يتعرض الكتاب للمواقف الصعبة أو غير الاعتيادية بل -غالبا- يخط قواعد عامة للقتال.
لا نبخس الكتاب حقه فقد تعرض لمواضيع جيدة مثل طبيعة الأرض وتحفيز المقاتلين وادخار الموارد.

ربما تكمن قيمة الكتاب في أقدميته ولو أنني أعلم بأن هناك كتابا آخر -صينيا أيضا- صدر في نفس الزمن.

لم يبهرني لكنه ليس سيئا. كما أنه صغير الحجم. جرب على مسؤوليتك.

My review in English first then in Arabic - مراجعة بالانجليزية يليها مراجعة بالعربية
The arts of war, a new field i did not read in it before, sometimes I felt that I am reading a plan of offensive football team ! And at other times i felt like I am reading women's plan to provoke its neighbor! :) It is comprehensive book about the wars that we face in our lives in general;>
*****
تلك اول مرة أقرأ فيها عن ذلك النوع من الفنون ! شعرت أحيانا و كأننى اقرأ خطة هجومية لفريق كرة قدم ! و احيانا اخرى و كأنى أقرأ خطة نسائية لاغاظة جارة شريرة ! :) اظن ان الكتاب يتحدث بمنحى فلسفي عام قد يشمل في بعض جوانبه جميع اشكال الحروب التى نواجهها في حياتنا عموما ! :) ، .. ايضا ماجاء في الكتاب بشكل عارض عن التجنيد الاجبارى و التعامل المزرى و الغير انسانى مع المجندين وقع عندى على خط التماس مع ماقرأته سابقا في (طبائع الاستبداد) للكواكبي و أكد لي على معناه و مبتغاه عن العبودية التي يؤسس لها ذاك النوع من التجنيد

n  
" الكـتاب المـقـدس للـدراسـات العـسكـرية "
n


خمسة وعشرون قرناً من الزمان ولا يزال كتاب " فن الحرب " من أهم وافضل الكتب الحربية والعسكرية ومازال من ضمن قائمة أهم مائة كتاب في التاريخ..


سن أتزو جعل من الحرب فناً ،خدعة ودهاء، تعليمات عسكرية صارمة وتكتيكات عبقرية وخطط ماكرة واقعية فذة، تفكير في أدق تفاصيل شؤون الحرب وإغتنام كافة السبل و الفرص المؤدية إلى النصر المؤزر في أي معركة بكيفية واقعية لا تخرج عن نطاق الممكن..


قد لا يهمه عدد الجنود في داخل المعركة ولا قوة العدو ولا نوع الأسلحة ولا التضاريس التي تجرى فيها المعارك..
سن أتزو يفكر في النصر في كل المعارك التي يخوضها بوسائل عبقرية ناضجة وخطط محكمة وبديهة سريعة ترافق الأستعداد الذهني والبدني وتجعل الجيش بكامله في أقصى درجات التحدي والأستعداد للمتغيرات والمفاجأت التي قد تحملها المعركة..


كتاب " فن الحرب " لا يقتصر فقط على شرح كيفية تحقيق الأنتصارات وإلحاق الهزيمة بالعدو فحسب، بل وحتى تجنب الهزيمة والوقوع في شرك العدو والأسر وخلافه..


عندما تقرأ الكتاب لا تشعر أن الكتاب قد كُتب منذ ذلك الزمن البعيد.. قيمة تاريخية وعسكرية لا مثيل لها، يمكن تطبق تعليماتها حتى في الوقت الحاضر رغم التقدم التقني والعسكري، ولكن مازالت نفس الطرق ونفس الأستراتيجيات والخطط تُستخدم من قبل القادة العسكريين ..


قد يقول قائل أن ماكتبه أتزو من البديهيات ومن الممكن أن تخطر تعاليمه وخططه على بال أي عسكري متمرس
نعم صحيح ولكن مع تلك الشمولية وتلك البصيرة الحادة والفكر الثاقب مع مراعاة الزمن الذي كُتب فيه الكتاب، لا أتصور حقيقة أن ماكتبه أتزو كان ضرباً من الحظ..


للمفارقة لم يكن أتزو من محبي الحرب ولم يكن يتصور الحرب كطريقة مُثلى لحل الخلافات، كان يرى أن الحوار والمفاوضات هي التي يجب أن تسود لحل المشاكل بين الدول والأمم�� ذكر ذلك صراحة في الكتاب رغم أنه كتاب للحرب وفنونه..
كان يرى أن النجاح الحقيقي في الحرب هو الفوز في معركة بدون خسائر من الطرفين ثم العمل على إحلال سلام مستديم قائم على المعاهدات والأتفاقيات الموثوق بها، ولكن كرر فيما بعد أن الحرب ضرورة في بعض الأحيان وشر لابد منه ..