Sun Tzu

Traditional Chinese histories place Sun Wu, honored as "Master Sun," as a general and minister to King Helü of Wu during the Eastern Zhou period, with a lifetime spanning 544–496 BC. He is credited as the author of The Art of War, the classical text on strategy from the Warring States period, though scholars believe the earliest parts of the work date to at least a century after his supposed death. His historical existence is uncertain—revered across East Asia as a legendary figure, yet documented only in accounts written centuries later. For a time, historians conflated him with his alleged d…