Sun Wu (circa 545 BC - circa 470 BC, alternatively 480 BC), styled Changqing, was a military strategist from Le'an, Qi (today's Shandong Province), during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China.
Sun Wu descended from the nobility of the state of Chen. In the thirteenth year of King Jing of Zhou (532 BC), amid political turmoil in Qi, Sun Wu fled to Wu to evade the chaos. Upon his arrival in Wu, he led a secluded life, devoting himself to the study of military science. After King Helu ascended the throne, Sun Wu, recommended multiple times by Wu Zixu, presented his thirteen chapters on military strategy to the king and was appointed as a general. In the fourteenth year of King Jing of Zhou (506 BC), Sun Wu, together with Wu Zixu, devised a plan to exploit the conflicts between the states of Tang and Cai, and Chu, turning them into allies of Wu. Subsequently, they assisted King Helu in leading a large army to attack Chu, defeating Chu's forces in the Battle of Baiju and occupying Chu's capital Ying. In his fifties, Sun Wu ceased to participate in planning Wu's foreign wars and instead retreated to the countryside, where he revised his military works. He eventually passed away peacefully.
Sun Wu is respectfully known as Sunzi, also titled the "Sage of War" and the "Utmost Saint of Military Strategy," with the reputation of being the "Teacher of Military Strategists for Hundreds of Generations" and the "Ancestor of Eastern Military Science." His book The Art of War, the earliest existing military treatise in China, elaborates on the laws of winning wars, strategic principles, battlefield tactics, and logistical support for armies. It is rich in content and concise in language, emphasizing subjective initiative and objective adaptation in warfare, imbued with dialectics. The fundamental principles outlined in the book have been widely applied in various aspects of society and economics by later generations. Translated into English, French, German, Japanese, and other languages, The Art of War has had a profound impact on subsequent generations.
