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Book
Summary
History of the Text Overview
History of Text in China
First
Western Translation
English Translation History
Comparing English Versions Overview
Special Adaptations
History of the Text
Sun Tzu's work has been around for 2,500 years, but Sun Tzu's text has had a complicated
history in China. A
complete Chinese language version of the text wasn't available until the
1970s.
A Jesuit missionary, Father Amiot, first brought a
version of The Art of
War to the West in 1782. This
first translation, which became associated with Napoleon's success,
redefined our ideas of military strategy.
The English translation of Sun Tzu has progressed dramatically over the
years. The first English translations were based on fragmentary and often
contradictory Chinese sources. Today's modern English translations offer the
complete Art of War, and one, The Art of War plus the Ancient Chinese Revealed,
is the only award-winning translation and the only translation used as a guide for translations into other
languages, including Asian languages.
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