Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare : A Translation of the Classic Chinese Work of Philosophy and Strategy

by Sun Tzu II; Ames, Roger T.; Lau, D. C.

• ISBN13: 9780791454961
• ISBN10: 0791454967
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-03-01
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

A classic of both military strategy and Eastern philosophy from the fourth century B.C.E. A volume in the SUNY series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture David L. Hall and Roger T. Ames, editors

Author Biography

D.C. Lau is Professor Emeritus at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	1	(1)
The Excavation at Yinqueshan	1	(3)
Sun Bin as a Historical Person	4	(12)
The Reconstructed Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare	16	(4)
Analysis of Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare	20	(20)
An Overview	20	(2)
Sunzi and Sun Bin: The Overlap	22	(1)
Sunzi and Sun Bin: Textual Borrowings	23	(1)
Sunzi and Sun Bin: Thematic Continuities	24	(5)
Sunzi and Sun Bin: The Differences	29	(2)
Sun Bin on Siege Warfare	31	(1)
Sun Bin and the Introduction of Cavalry	32	(2)
Sun Bin and Battle Formation (zhen)	34	(6)
Sun Bin: Current Assessments of its Value	40	(3)
The Art of Warfare as a Genre	43	(3)
Sun Bin as Philosophical Literature	46	(45)
Foreknowledge (zhi)	53	(7)
The Way (dao)	60	(2)
Strategic Advantage (shi)	62	(2)
Weighing with the Lever Scales (quan)	64	(3)
Battle Formation and Diplay (zhen / chen)	67	(4)
Adaptability (bian)	71	(2)
Yin-yang and a Correlative Vocabulary	73	(4)
The Exemplary Commander (jiang)	77	(6)
The Complete Victory (quan sheng)	83	(8)
Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare A Translation
Part I---Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare The Sixteen-Chapter Text Recovered from the Yinqueshan Han Dynasty Strips
Capturing Pang Juan	91	(3)
[An Audience with King Wei of Qi]	94	(3)
The Questions of King Wei of Qi	97	(8)
Tian Ji Inquires about Battlefield Defenses	105	(5)
On Selecting the Troops	110	(2)
The Moon and Warfare	112	(2)
The Eightfold Division of Formations	114	(2)
Terrain as Treasure	116	(2)
Preparing the Strategic Advantage (shi)	118	(3)
[The Real Nature of Military]	121	(2)
Carrying out the Selection of Personnel	123	(2)
Sacrifice in Battle	125	(2)
Raising and Keeping Morale High	127	(2)
Coordinating Military Assignments	129	(4)
The Five Kinds of Training Methods	133	(2)
[Strengthening the Military]	135	(4)
Part II---Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare The Fifteen Supplemental Chapters Recovered from the Yinqueshan Han Dynasty Strips
Ten Military Formations	139	(5)
Ten Questions	144	(5)
Overwhelming an Armed Infantry	149	(2)
The Positions of Invader and Defender	151	(3)
The Expert Commander	154	(2)
Five Postures and Five Situations in which an Army Respects Conventions	156	(2)
[Military Mistakes]	158	(2)
The Rightness (yi) of the Commander	160	(2)
[The Excellence (de) of the Commander]	162	(1)
Fatal Weaknesses of the Commander	163	(1)
[Fatal Mistakes of the Commander]	164	(3)
[Male and Female Fortifications]	167	(2)
[Five Considerations and Nine Objectives]	169	(2)
[Concentrated and Sparse Troops]	171	(2)
Straightforward and Surprise Operations	173	(6)
Part III---Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare Text Recovered from Later Commentarial, Historical, and Encyclopedic Sources
Ten Advantages of Using the Cavalry	179	(1)
Attacking the Heart-and-Mind	180	(1)
Fragments	181	(16)
Appendix
Background to the Excavation at Yinqueshan	187	(1)
Dating the Tombs and Identifying the Occupants	188	(2)
The First Published Reports	190	(2)
The Bamboo Strip Manuscripts and their Dates	192	(5)
Notes	197	(40)
Bibliography of Works Cited	237	(6)
Index	243	(10)
About the Authors	253