The Origin of Sun Tzu's Art of War

It is generally believed in academic circles that The Art of War was produced in the late Spring and Autumn Period of China. Others think that this book was written during the Warring States period or later. As for the author of this book, most people think that it was written by Sun Wu, but later people are wrong. There are also different views on the date of birth and death of Sun Wu in academic circles. It is generally believed that Sun Wu was a man in the late Spring and Autumn Period, about the same age as Confucius.

Sun Tzu's art of war should be produced after a long period of brewing. There are many factors that cause it, so we should choose the following points: China's frequent, intense and diverse wars since ancient times, especially in the Spring and Autumn Period, are the source of Sun Tzu's Art of War; Previous theoretical achievements of military science, such as military annals, military and political affairs, ancient Sima Fa, Lingdian, etc. It is a stepping stone for Sun Tzu's Art of War to leap to the peak of military science. The social ideological trend in the Spring and Autumn Period, especially the doctrines of "Tao", "Benevolence", "Yin and Yang" and "Protecting the People" are the cultural factors for the formation of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Qi culture, which worships the wise and wise, is a fertile ground for cultivating Sun Tzu's Art of War, a wonderful military theory. Sun Wu's personal talent and efforts are the subjective factors of Sun Tzu's Art of War. In addition, the thinking modes of the Chinese nation, such as holistic thinking, dialectical thinking and image thinking, formed in the pre-Qin period have played a guiding role in the construction of the theoretical system of Sun Tzu's Art of War. This is the main reason why The Art of War came into being in China rather than abroad, and in the Spring and Autumn Period rather than other periods.