The Art of War (Chinese: 孫子兵法; pinyin: sūn zĭ bīng fǎ; literally "Sun
Tzu's Military Strategy") is a Chinese military treatise written during
the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, each of which
is devoted to one aspect of warfare, it has long been praised as the
definitive work on military strategies and tactics. It is one of the
most famous studies of strategy and has had a huge influence on both
military planning and beyond. First translated two hundred years ago by
Father Amiot, a French missionary, The Art of War has been credited
with influencing Napoléon, the German General Staff, and even the
planning of Operation Desert Storm. Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong
and Giap have claimed to have drawn inspiration from the work.
Some have suggested or implied that The Art of War is applicable to
more than just military endeavors. Much of the text is about how to
fight wars without actually having to do battle. It gives tips for how
to outsmart one's opponent so that physical battle is not necessary. In
more recent times it has been used as a training guide to prepare one
for "office politics" and corporate culture, and the books have most
prominently appeared in the business sections of bookstores in the
West. Some sports such as rugby have even reputedly used the book to
develop strategy.
Many Japanese companies make this book required reading for their key
executives. In recent times the book has gained widespread popularity
among Western business management, who are turning to this book for
inspiration and advice on how to succeed in competitive business
situations. It has also crept its way into sport, with Australian
cricket coach John Buchanan handing out excerpts from the book to his
players before a match against England in 2001, along with the book
allegedly being a favorite of University of South Carolina football
head coach Steve Spurrier. At the same time this use has been
criticized by many scholars of Chinese history for using The Art of War
as a source of fortune cookie-like proverbs and not seeing the general
coherence of the text.
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The Art of War 
