LONDON
LUZAC & Co.
1910
printed by e. j. bbill, Leyden (Holland).
To my brother
Captain Valentine Giles, R.G.
in the hope that
a work 2400 years old
may yet contain lessons worth consideration
by the soldier of to-day
this translation
is affectionately dedicated
CONTENTS
| Page | |||
| Preface | [vii] | ||
| Introduction | |||
| Sun Wu and his Book | [xi] | ||
| The Text of Sun Tzŭ | [xxx] | ||
| The Commentators | [xxxiv] | ||
| Appreciations of Sun Tzŭ | [xlii] | ||
| Apologies for War | [xliii] | ||
| Bibliography | [l] | ||
| Chap. | I. | Laying Plans | [1] |
| „ | II. | Waging War | [9] |
| „ | III. | Attack by Stratagem | [17] |
| „ | IV. | Tactical Dispositions | [26] |
| „ | V. | Energy | [33] |
| „ | VI. | Weak Points and Strong | [42] |
| „ | VII. | Manœuvring | [55] |
| „ | VIII. | Variation of Tactics | [71] |
| „ | IX. | The Army on the March | [80] |
| „ | X. | Terrain | [100] |
| „ | XI. | The Nine Situations | [114] |
| „ | XII. | The Attack by Fire | [150] |
| „ | XIII. | The Use of Spies | [160] |
| Chinese Concordance | [176] | ||
| Index | [192] | ||
PREFACE
The seventh volume of “Mémoires concernant l’histoire, les sciences, les arts, les mœurs, les usages, &c., des Chinois”[[1]] is devoted to the Art of War, and contains, amongst other treatises, “Les Treize Articles de Sun-tse,” translated from the Chinese by a Jesuit Father, Joseph Amiot. Père Amiot appears to have enjoyed no small reputation as a sinologue in his day, and the field of his labours was certainly extensive. But his so-called translation of Sun Tzŭ, if placed side by side with the original, is seen at once to be little better than an imposture. It contains a great deal that Sun Tzŭ did not write, and very little indeed of what he did. Here is a fair specimen, taken from the opening sentences of chapter 5:—
De l’habileté dans le gouvernement des Troupes. Sun-tse dit: Ayez les noms de tous les Officiers tant généraux que subalternes; inscrivez-les dans un catalogue à part, avec la note des talents & de la capacité de chacun d’eux, afin de pouvoir les employer avec avantage lorsque l’occasion en sera venue. Faites en sorte que tous ceux que vous devez commander soient persuadés que votre principale attention est de les préserver de tout dommage. Les troupes que vous ferez avancer contre l’ennemi doivent être comme des pierres que vous lanceriez contre des œufs. De vous à l’ennemi il ne doit y avoir d’autre différence que celle du fort au foible, du vuide au plein. Attaquez à découvert, mais soyez vainqueur en secret. Voilà en peu de mots en quoi consiste l’habileté & toute la perfection même du gouvernement des troupes.