The Art of War: An Illustrated Edition (The Illustrated Library of Chinese Classics Book 5)

**A delightfully illustrated version of Sunzi’s classic The Art of War by bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai** C. C. Tsai is one of Asia's most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. This volume presents Tsai's delightful graphic adaptation of Sunzi's __Art of War__, the most profound book on warfare and strategy ever written--a work that continues to be read as a handbook for success not just by military commanders but also by leaders in politics, business, and many other fields. Conceived by a Chinese warrior-philosopher some 2,500 years ago, __The Art of War__ speaks to those aspiring to rise through the ranks and help build successful countries. How can that goal best be achieved, and what is the role of warfare, if any, in the process? What are the powers and limits of the general in command? How can you win without going to war? Sunzi's answers to these and other questions are brought to life as never before by Tsai's brilliant cartoons, which show Sunzi fighting on dangerous ground, launching a surprise attack, spying on his enemies, and much more. A marvelously rich introduction to a timeless classic, this book also features a foreword by Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on military strategy, which illuminates how __The Art of War__ has influenced Western strategic thought. In addition, Sunzi's original Chinese text is artfully presented in narrow sidebars on each page, enriching the books for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the self-contained English-language cartoons. The text is skillfully translated by Brian Bruya, who also provides an introduction. "C. C. Tsai is one of Asia's most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. This volume presents Tsai's delightful graphic adaptation of Sunzi's Art of War, the most profound book on warfare and strategy ever written--a work that continues to be read as a handbook for success not just by military commanders but also by leaders in politics, business, and many other fields. Conceived by a Chinese warrior-philosopher some 2,500 years ago, The Art of War speaks to those aspiring to rise through the ranks and help build successful countries. How can that goal best be achieved, and what is the role of warfare, if any, in the process? What are the powers and limits of the general in command? How can you win without going to war? Sunzi's answers to these and other questions are brought to life as never before by Tsai's brilliant cartoons, which show Sunzi fighting on dangerous ground, launching a surprise attack, spying on his enemies, and much more. A marvelously rich introduction to a timeless classic, this book also features a foreword by Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on military strategy, which illuminates how The Art of War has influenced Western strategic thought. In addition, Sunzi's original Chinese text is artfully presented in narrow sidebars on each page, enriching the books for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the self-contained English-language cartoons. The text is skillfully translated by Brian Bruya, who also provides an introduction."-- Publisher's website Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Foreword 8 Introduction 12 THE LIFE OF SUN WU 19 1. CALCULATION 27 Calculation 28 The Dao, Heaven, Earth, Command, Law 29 The Dao 30 Heaven 31 Earth 32 Command 33 Law 34 The Seven Calculations 35 Subterfuge 37 Taking Advantage of the Enemy 38 Calculating Victory 39 2. WAGING WAR 40 A Million Dollars a Day 41 Protracted War Is Disadvantageous 42 Victory, Not Duration 43 Gain Strength through the Enemy 44 The General Who Knows 47 3. OFFENSIVE STRATEGY 48 Sending Troops into the Field 49 Multiple Fronts 51 On the Battlefield 56 Powers of the Commander 59 Know Yourself, Know Your Enemy 62 4. TACTICAL DISPOSITION 64 Conditions for Attack and Defense 65 Seek Victory before Fighting 68 The Circumstances of Decisive Battle 70 5. FORCE 72 Frontal and Surprise 73 Interchanging Frontal and Surprise Attacks 74 Force 77 Creating Force 78 6. STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS 80 Control Others Instead of Being Controlled 81 Concentration against Fragmentation 83 Like Water 84 7. MANEUVER 87 Make the Crooked Straight 88 Advantage and Disadvantage 89 Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain 92 8. FLEXIBILITY 95 Flexibility 96 9. ON THE MARCH 103 Deployment 104 10. TERRAIN 111 Terrain 112 The Six Causes of Defeat 116 A Great General Is a National Treasure 118 11. GROUND 119 Strategies of Ground 120 Dividing the Enemy 124 The Army of the Supreme Sovereign 126 Wage War Like a Serpent 127 Like a Maiden 130 12. INCENDIARY WARFARE 131 Five Methods of Incendiary Warfare 132 Move Only when It Benefits You 133 13. ESPIONAGE 135 Spies 136 The Five Agents 138 Pronunciation Index 144 Introduction / By Brian Bruya -- The Life Of Sun Wu -- Calculation -- Waging War -- Offensive Strategy -- Tactical Disposition -- Force -- Strength And Weakness -- Maneuver -- Flexibility -- On The March -- Terrain -- Ground -- Incendiary Warfare -- Espionage. Sunzi ; Adapted And Illustrated By C.c. Tsai ; Translated By Brian Bruya ; Foreword By Lawrence Freedman. Previously Published In 1994 Under Title: Sunzi Speaks. Translated From The Chinese. In English And Chinese. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period. The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu 1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.