Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the World — John Shaqi
Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the WorldSunzi, active 6th century B.C.
Philosophy
Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the World
Sunzi, active 6th century B.C.
Military art and science -- Early works to 1800; War -- Early works to 1800
The old text of the _T‘ung Tien_ has 故經之以五校之計, etc. Later
editors have inserted 事 after 五, and 以 before 計. The former
correction is perhaps superfluous, but the latter seems necessary
in order to make sense, and is supported by the accepted reading
in § 12, where the same words recur. I am inclined to think,
however, that the whole sentence from 校 to 情 is an interpolation
and has no business here at all. If it be retained, Wang Hsi must
be right in saying that 計 denotes the “seven considerations” in
§ 13. 情 are the circumstances or conditions likely to bring about
victory or defeat. The antecedent of the first 之 is 兵者; of the
second, 五. 校 contains the idea of “comparison with the enemy,”
which cannot well be brought out here, but will appear in § 12.
Altogether, difficult though it is, the passage is not so
hopelessly corrupt as to justify Capt. Calthrop in burking it
entirely.
4. 一曰道二曰天三曰地四曰將五曰法
These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The
Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
It appears from what follows that Sun Tzŭ means by 道 a principle
of harmony, not unlike the Tao of Lao Tzŭ in its moral aspect. One
might be tempted to render it by “morale,” were it not considered
as an attribute of the _ruler_ in § 13.
5. 道者令民與上同意也
6. 故可與之死可與之生而民不畏危
_The Moral Law_ causes the people to be in complete accord with their
ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives,
undismayed by any danger.
The original text omits 令民, inserts an 以 after each 可, and
omits 民 after 而. Capt. Calthrop translates: “If the ruling
authority be upright, the people are united”—a very pretty
sentiment, but wholly out of place in what purports to be a
translation of Sun Tzŭ.
7. 天者陰陽寒暑時制也
_Heaven_ signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.
The commentators, I think, make an unnecessary mystery of 陰陽.
Thus Mêng Shih defines the words as 剛柔盈縮 “the hard and the
soft, waxing and waning,” which does not help us much. Wang Hsi,
however, may be right in saying that what is meant is 總天道 “the
general economy of Heaven,” including the five elements, the four
seasons, wind and clouds, and other phenomena.
8. 地者遠近險易廣狹死生也
_Earth_ comprises distances, great and small; danger and security;
open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.
死生 (omitted by Capt. Calthrop) may have been included here
because the safety of an army depends largely on its quickness to
turn these geographical features to account.
9. 將者智信仁勇嚴也
_The Commander_ stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity,
benevolence, courage and strictness.
The five cardinal virtues of the Chinese are (1) 仁 humanity or
benevolence; (2) 義 uprightness of mind; (3) 禮 self-respect,
self-control, or “proper feeling;” (4) 智 wisdom; (5) 信 sincerity
or good faith. Here 智 and 信 are put before 仁, and the two
military virtues of “courage” and “strictness” substituted for 義
and 禮.
10. 法者曲制官道主用也
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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