Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu
Statue of Sun Tzu in Yurihama, Tottori, in Japan
Born	544 BC (traditional) Qi state
Died	496 BC (traditional)
Occupation	Military general and tactician
Ethnicity	Chinese
Period	Spring and Autumn
Subject	Military strategy
Notable works	The Art of War

Sun Tzu
"Sunzi" in ancient seal script (top), regular Traditional (middle), and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	孫子
Simplified Chinese	孙子
Literal meaning	"Master Sun"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sūnzǐ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Suentzyy Wade–Giles Sun1-tzu3 IPA [su̯ə́n.tsɨ̀] Wu Suzhounese Sen-tsỳ Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Syūn-jí Jyutping Syun1-zi2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Sun-chú Tâi-lô Sun-tsú Middle Chinese Middle Chinese Swon-tsi Old Chinese Baxter-Sagart *[s]ˤu[n] tsəʔ
Sun Wu
Traditional Chinese	孫武
Simplified Chinese	孙武
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Wade–Giles Sun Wu Tongyong Pinyin Sūn Wǔ
Changqing
Traditional Chinese	長卿
Simplified Chinese	长卿
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chángqīng Wade–Giles Ch'ang-ch'ing

Sun Tzu (/ˈsuːnˈdzuː/; also rendered as Sun Zi) was a Chinese general, military strategist, and philosopher who lived in the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, a widely influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and Eastern philosophy. Aside from his legacy as the author of The Art of War, Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and the Culture of Asia as a legendary historical figure. His birth name was Sun Wu, and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing. The name Sun Tzu by which he is best known in the West is an honorific which means "Master Sun."

Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. Sima Qian and other traditional historians placed him as a minister to King Helü of Wu and dated his lifetime to 544–496 BC. Modern scholars accepting his historicity nonetheless place the existing text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period based upon its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare. Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin also wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since both Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as Sun Tzu in classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.