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Sun-Tzu: Art of War-The New Translation

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I've read all of the other English "translations" out there, and not one of them comes even close to this. Based on the ancient Linyi text recently found in China, in this translation the author has created margin notes in an outline form so that all of Sun-tzu's words become completely logical. Unlike any other translation of a Chinese book that I've ever seen, Mr. Huang gives detailed proof using ancient Chinese sources for almost every sentence of his translation, so this version of Sun-tzu should be used a standard for all other Chinese translations to come. It reads not only fluidly but makes total sense, and would be an ideal handbook for both field marshals and marketing strategists. The introduction notes that military personnel from Colin Powell on down read and reviewed this book, and their contributions show in the accurate use of modern American military terms throughout the work. It's also written so well that every time I pick it up, I end up reading the whole thing. Mr. Huang is an amazing scholar of both ancient Chinese thought and English prose. All I can say in conclusion is, "Thank you, Mr. Huang."

This translation from J. H. Huang is better suited to explaining the text as opposed to giving you a clear rendering of it. Three-fourths of the book seemingly is devoted to explanation and commentaries. Published in 1993, it used the latest discovered Sun Tzu text found in China in 1972, which predates previous original Sun Tzu's by 1,000 years. The translation is slightly imperfect as sometimes the author used awkward words. If you want analysis however this is it. Sonshi.com

I read this book in the context of a military training environment, and that was appropriate. The fact that so many regard this book as a means for improving management skills, to me, is bothersome. Sun Tzu was a military leader and this book should be taken at face value. In that regard the book is excellent. It pares down the factors of military command into its constituent parts and explains the what, how, and why of winning a military contest. It's not a page-turner in the sense of a good Clancy novel; rather it is somewhat choppy, perhaps owing to the age of the text and the fact that it is a translation. Nevertheless, the principles are timeless, and they come through the time and language barriers loud and clear. Students of military history simply must read this book.

It seems to me (being no scholar of ancient China myself) that considerable amount of solid work went into the writing of this book.

After a 10-15 page introduction, the first half of the book contains Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" translated. The translation has no obvious problems (though neither does it strike this non-academic as being obviously miles above earlier translations) content-wise. It is, however, forced onto half of every page, due to the other half (i.e.: left side) of each page being taken up by outline notes for the content appearing to the right.

I will readily admit I am puzzled why an outline of the text's message would be needed by anyone, considering "The Art of War" on its own is between 40-60 pages of text only. Unfortunately the way the material was typeset, the pages look unpleasantly busy and I had difficulty reading the text with any leisure.

The second half of the book on its own has no problems per se. It is the author's commentary to the text. The only problem is that to make any sense of it, one necessarily has to flip back and forth between part 1 and part 2, otherwise the commentaries have no clear context (the text being explained is not repeated, despite being far shorter in all instances than the explanations).

Lastly, in the appendix an additional 5 chapters are presented that were discovered at Linyi, and that contain additional material from "The Art of War" that has long been lost.

Unfortunately (through no fault of the author), judging by the translation, the chapters all contain broken/lost/undecipherable parts, and as a result their translations (typeset more plainly than the earlier portions of the book) are once again not particularly pleasant to read.

Overall, pretty great stuff... some of it even material that you might not find in other editions; but the overly busy/reader-unfriendly book design makes it difficult to enjoy as much as one ought to be able to.

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I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to read this classic in English. I've read it about 3 times already and it seems like I always learn something new. It applies perfectly to business. Pretend it's a book about business that is using war as a metaphor.

I can't comment on how accurate the translation is because I did not read the chinese version, but this book presents the material in a very logical manner and it is very easy to read because it is in plain english. Some "to english" translation use very word choice.

The Warring States period Warring States Period 475-221 BCE is a history of constant warfare, of alliances and counter-alliances, and of treaties made and broken. The nature of warfare evolved during the period. During the Warring States period, political stability was impossible to gain by adventurous military action. With the advent of swelling ranks of soldiers, protracted sieges, and an ever increasing drain on state treasuries, warfare became a serious matter for study.

Thus, the opening remark of "The Art Of War" states--without exaggeration--war had become the most serious business of the state, the key to survival or ruin. The author of this and other pithy aphorisms on how to successfully fight a war was Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu scholars place his writing "The Art of War" in the Warring States Period, based on the descriptions of warfare in the text. The book has received great exposure in the west starting in the eighteenth century after being translated by a French missionary. It has been reported that Napoleon studied the text and effectively put many of its teachings to good use. For the past 2,000 years, it has been the most important military treatise in all of Asia, even known by name with the common people. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese military figures have studied it and employed its concepts to good effect. This is especially evident in the military tactics of 20th century revolutionaries like Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh.

The book is comprised of 13 chapters. The thesis of Sun's work is one should employ an army after a thorough analysis mandated by careful planning and the formulation of an overall strategy before embarking on a campaign. Sun emphasizes rational self-control, influenced by Daoist teachings throughout the book.

Chap 1-Laying Plans
18. All warfare is based on deception. 19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

Chap 6-Weak Points And Strong
8. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

The best translation is the Samuel B. Griffith edition

I was pleased to repossess this tome, which had become misplaced. I first read it on a recommendation from a Sensei as a Dracling. I have found it to be a worthwhile tome which can be applied to a wide variety of situations, and does actually contribute to one's mental fortitude, offering a glimpse into the warrior ethos.