Do you know the great militarist"Sun ZI"

erlongshan said:

To know situation of both sides is very impotant.But SuZi hadnot mended it in many chapters but only in the end of the third chapter.It is so basal a thing that it cannot be skilful.

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I agree, but sadly this simple truth is too often overlooked. The original quote (知己知彼，百战不怠) was not just about knowing the military weakness and strength. It also extends to strategic and tactical intel collecting. The quote itself was a simple but very broad idea. Many chapters are indeed derived from this simple idea. Look at Chapter 13. It's all about how to use spies.

i think most relevent part of 'Art of War' today is his politic thoughts and philosophy. There are also parts in the book where he actually talked about how to fight a battle like how to deploy archers or what formation spearmen should line up, i think that would be interesting reading only for historians. Its really a good book to read over some time and apply it to your personal life.

As for its military value in today's warfare, i think its more useful to politicians than to generals. Warfare has changed since his time, only thing that hasnt changed is politics.

Of course its a good reading for anyone who likes to be more sophisticated, but good luck on the archaic chinese.