El Arte de la Guerra - Ilustrado

Por Sun Tzu y Onésimo Colavidas

Esta es una edición especial ilustrada por el artista-pintor Onésimo Colavidas sobre el
tratado del arte militar escrito, hace 2.500 años, por el gran General Sun Tzu, cuya maestría dio prestigio, grandeza y paz a su patria: la China. La mayoría de sus reglas son perfectamente aplicables a cualquiera de las actuales disciplinas, tales como: la política, la dirección de empresas, la psicología o el deporte de elite. Su exquisita filosofía y sus sabias estrategias las podréis aplicar en todos los ámbitos de vuestra vida para que sea más exitosa y feliz.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: FV Éditions
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 7 sept 2015
• ISBN: 9782366686890

Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu, also known as Sun Wu or Sunzi, was an ancient Chinese military strategist believed to be the author of the acclaimed military text, The Art of War. Details about Sun Tzu’s background and life are uncertain, although he is believed to have lived c. 544-496 BCE. Through The Art of War, Sun Tzu’s theories and strategies have influenced military leaders and campaigns throughout time, including the samurai of ancient and early-modern Japan, and more recently Ho Chi Minh of the Viet Cong and American generals Norman Swarzkopf, Jr. and Colin Powell during the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s.

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Copyright © 2013 por FV Éditions

Portada e Ilustraciones © Onésimo Colavidas

Traducido por J.C.P. (2013)

Corrección de estilo por S.C.C. (2013)

ISBN 978-2-36668-689-0

Todos Los Derechos Reservados

EL ARTE DE LA GUERRA

LOS TRECE ARTÍCULOS SOBRE EL ARTE MILITAR¹

por

SUN TZU

Traducido al francés por el padre Joseph-Marie Amiot (1718-1793), misionero en Pekín.

Traducido al español por J.C.P. y corrección de estilo por S.C.C. (2013)

Prólogo

La historia del General y Maestro Sun Tzu, famoso por sus grandes hazañas y su experiencia en el arte militar, nació en la época del Rey de Tsi². Sun Tzu, ante unas circunstancias adversas para el reino, creyendo que no podía quedarse pasivo, se presentó ante el rey de Ou para pedirle que lo pusiera al mando de su ejército.

Estaba a punto de empezar una guerra. El rey de Ou³ se enfrentaba al rey de Tchou⁴ y al de Ho-lou⁵. Al recibir a Sun Tzu el rey se mostró encantado y le hizo una muy buena acogida, ya que conocía su trabajo escrito sobre el arte militar. Sin embargo, éste pensaba que algunas de estas reglas, a la práctica, no creía que fuesen posibles de realizar. La respuesta de Sun Tzu fue que todo cuanto había escrito ya lo había experimentado en la práctica y esto convenció al rey de Ou para nombrarlo general de sus ejércitos.

Los vecinos del rey de Ou, que hasta aquel momento le habían causado grandes problemas, sabiendo las acciones de Sun Tzu, se mantuvieron a la expectativa respetando al rey que tenía a un hombre de tanta valía a su servicio. Esta imagen era la que tenían los chinos de sus héroes. La severidad de sus órdenes y el deber de ser obedecido, es la primera y más importante de las leyes militares en las cuales se apoya la mayor autoridad de su general. No obedecer ni escuchar con atención las órdenes de su general merece un castigo y se paga con la muerte. El rey o el príncipe dicta la ley, siempre respetando las órdenes del general de su ejército con tal de no debilitar la dignidad que se le otorga.

Un buen general debe poder someter a su ejército a que afronte cualquier peligro, llegando incluso a hacerles afrontar los dos grandes elementos más peligrosos de la naturaleza: el agua y el fuego.

La mayoría de sus reglas resultan excelentes para aplicarse en muchas disciplinas de la actualidad, tales como la política, la dirección de empresas, la psicología o el deporte de elite. Éstas constituyen, además, una gran filosofía de vida para todo ser humano.

J.C.P

Artículo I

Fundamentos del Arte Militar

Sun Tzu dice: las tropas son lo más importante de un Estado; de ellas depende la vida o la muerte de sus individuos, el engrandecimiento o la decadencia del imperio: no reflexionar seriamente sobre ello y no trabajar para regularlas supone mostrar una gran indiferencia para la conservación o para la pérdida de lo más preciado que poseemos, eso es lo que no deberíamos hacer jamás.

Cinco cosas principales deben ser el objetivo de nuestras continuas meditaciones, y de toda nuestra atención⁶. Parecidos a estos famosos artistas, que habiendo exagerado algún chef-d’oeuvre en su arte, tienen siempre presente en su consciencia la meta que se han propuesto, aprovechando todo cuanto ven, todo cuanto oyen, y sin olvidar nada que les proporcione nuevos conocimientos y ayudas que les pueda llevar a alcanzar su objetivo con éxito. Si queremos que la gloria y los triunfos acompañen a nuestros ejércitos, no debemos perder nunca de vista la doctrina, el Cielo, la Tierra, el general y la disciplina⁷. La doctrina hará que surjan unos sentimientos uniformes; esto nos mostrará una misma manera de vivir y de morir, y nos aportará valentía tanto en la desgracia como en la muerte.

Si conocemos bien el Cielo, no ignoraremos en absoluto lo que son estos dos grandes principios: "yin y yang"; sabremos el tiempo de su unión y de su mutua concurrencia para la producción del frío, del calor, de la serenidad o de la intemperie del aire.

La Tierra no es menos digna de nuestra atención que el Cielo, estudiémosla bien y obtendremos el conocimiento de lo alto y lo bajo; de lo lejano y de lo cercano, de lo ancho y lo estrecho, de lo que permanece y de lo que únicamente pasa de largo.

La Doctrina, la equidad, el respeto hacia todos los hombres en general, la ciencia de los recursos, el coraje y el valor, tales son las cualidades que deben caracterizar a aquel que es escogido como digno de ser general; virtudes necesarias y esenciales: únicamente éstas pueden ponernos en la situación de caminar dignamente al frente de los demás.

En referencia a los conocimientos que acabo de citar, debe añadirse el de la disciplina. Poseer el arte de ordenar las tropas; sin ignorar ninguna de las leyes de la subordinación y hacerlas cumplir rigurosamente, conocer los deberes particulares de cada oficial subalterno, saber distinguir los diferentes caminos por los que se puede llegar a un mismo destino; sin desestimar ningún detalle de todo aquello que nos pueda ser útil, y ponerse en el hecho de cada una de ellas en particular; todo este conjunto forma un cuerpo de disciplina que en su conocimiento práctico no debe pasarle inadvertido ni a la sagacidad ni a las atenciones de un general.

Aquel que haya sido escogido por el príncipe para situarlo al frente del ejército, si aplica los fundamentos de su ciencia militar a los cinco principios que acabo de establecer (la doctrina, el Cielo, la Tierra, el general y la disciplina); la victoria le seguirá siempre, en cambio obtendrá la más vergonzosa derrota, si, por ignorancia o por presunción, los omite o rechaza.

Con los conocimientos que acabo de indicar, sabréis cuál es aquel que tiene una mayor doctrina y más virtudes entre los reyes que gobiernan el mundo; conoceréis los grandes generales que pueden encontrarse en los diferentes reinos. Si es en tiempo de guerra podréis hacer conjeturas con bastante seguridad, y poner al mando al mejor de ellos; y aquel que sea escogido se sentirá orgulloso de convertirse en un triunfador.

Con estos mismos conocimientos, usted no ignorará en absoluto en qué momento el Cielo y la Tierra estarán de acuerdo para favorecer la salida de las tropas a las cuales indicaréis las rutas que deben recorrer, y de las cuales regularéis a consciencia todas las posibilidades, no empezaréis ni terminaréis nunca la campaña fuera de estación; conoceréis la fortaleza y la debilidad, tanto de aquellos que confiaron en vuestras precauciones, como de los enemigos contra los que deberéis combatir, sabréis en qué cantidad y en qué estado se encontrarán las municiones de guerra y los víveres de los dos ejércitos; distribuiréis las recompensas con libertad, pero con selección, y no escatimaréis los castigos cuando sean necesarios.

Admirando vuestras virtudes y vuestra buena conducta, los oficiales generales no se negarán al delicado placer del riguroso deber de secundarle. Éstos estarán en vuestro punto de mira, y su ejemplo arrastrará infaliblemente a sus subalternos, los simples soldados concurrirán ellos mismos con todas

Comentarios para El Arte de la Guerra - Ilustrado

[takeitorleaveit_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

you kind of have to read this, yah. so privately canonized.

[lynnb_64 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I'm so glad I finally read this historic book. I found it very interesting and understand why it has been adapted to suit other fields -- notably management. And the version of the book I bought is beautiful in itself. Bound in traditional Chinese style, with each page folded in half and only printed on the outside. Hard to rate -- it is what it is as they say -- but I'm rating it highly because it has stood the test of time.

[justagirl_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

All the guff about it being the greatest management text in history is of course utter nonsense, but it's an interesting read. I preferred and would recommend the Hagakure if you're after samurai warrior philosophy.

[chellerystick · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

Pretty dull going, even by audiobook. The narrators were great, though, and there were times that the footnotes saved me.

[auntieclio · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Inspiration comes from many places and The Art of War is one of those books mentioned frequently in my circles. It's one of those books I've been meaning to get to for years and, while I am not sorry that I finally got to it, its usefulness to me is limited.Most of the non-strategic advice is good leadership advice. Things such as being a leader means setting the standard for how the work should be done, including getting one's hands dirty with the lowliest tasks. I've read plenty of stuff about leadership, and setting the example, that there really wasn't anything new for me here.Since I'm not interested in military strategies, the rest was dry.From a strictly historic perspective, I can understand the importance of this treatise. But as an outstanding example of leadership and strategy in the 21st century? I'm not seeing it.

[lostvampire_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The oldest military treatise on war. This one is Tops! Translation by Lionel Giles and with original Chinese.

[peterabun · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

A little book full off great thoughts and advice for life. I read it every year.

[madepercy-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I have read this several times in a variety of translations. This version is formatted like a poem and is a quick read. Interesting that Sun Tzu echoes many of the issues raised by Thucydides. I remember an Instructor Gunnery during my Regimental Officers Basic Course from the United States artillery beginning every lesson with: "Sun Tzu says...". And, "If a 155 round lands on a tank, the tank is toast". So much in such a short book and it was quite possibly written before Thucydides was born.

[plaws595 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

It is a really old book, but still has much application to everyday life in modern times. The book is a little hard to read at times. However, the knowledge you get from reading it worth it. I recommend everyone read this title at least once in their lifetime.

[ashishg_50 · Calificación: 1 de 5 estrellas]

This book counts as classic even for modern warfare and strategy games. My experience has been unsatisfying and boring - perhaps I didn't delve into deep implications of obvious sounding tactics.

[tullius22 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I think one of the reasons why this book has been and probably always will be so popular, is that many different people can read read it for many different reasons. Among the most obvious: some people read it to learn about war (like Tom Ricks, who quotes it in his famous book about Iraq), some people are drawn into it by an interest in the Far East (like the translator, M. Giles himself, who was a student of all things Chinese), and some people just like it because it's really really old and really really cool, and I guess that's part of the reason why I like it. And although the German wrote another famous-book about war, he was, being German, boring. But then, some things can be both popular, and well-reasoned, and, as a philosophical essay to discover the nature of war, this little book does a fine job. Recall what Aristotle says in the first sentence of his 'Nicomachean Ethics': "Every art...seems to aim at some good, and so it has been well said that the good is that at which everything aims." So, what good does The Art Of War aim at? (Absolutely nothin'--ugh! Well, no, sorry.) Well, in a way, the art of war aims to conduct war well, just as the art of baking bread aims to bake bread well. But what does that mean, in real terms? I think that if we examine the thought of Master Sun, we find that the good at which the art of war aims is to achieve victory, not by inflicting the maximum amount of destruction, but by causing the absolute minimum: for to cause much destruction is not so good. And I think he does all that with a certain sort of style, too: "II. Waging War 3. Again, if the campaign be protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain. 5. Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays. 6. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. 7. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on. 8. The skilful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his suppy-wagons loaded more than twice. 19. In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns." And it's good to remind all those annoying, noisy military history fanatics that the longest, most destructive wars are the *worst*, because people *die* and things get *destroyed* and that's *bad*. (8/10)

[misoman_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The Art of War is a treasure trove of information...if you study war, ancient China, Strategy, or military history...it is useless when applied to business, I think. I love this text, but I study ancient Asian texts. Giles' translation is the one which all others are measured and it has the text with commentary and without, and in the original Chinese. As a study text this is superb, as a manual for business, it a weak application.Miso

[a1abwriter · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

one of the best books I've ever read; just be careful of the translator. There are some really horrendous editions out there. ALWAYS buy the one translated by "CLEARLY" he is very profound in eastern philosophy and tradition

[darwin.8u · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

A great translation. That was meant to be funny since I don't read Chinese and can't possibly really know how good his translation is. However, this is a great book and belongs right next to your other war strategy greats.

[markdeo · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I give it a 5 because it's a classic that you can read in under an hour. One of the best books I have read. Simple, basic, and a great strategy foundation. I refer to it all the time. Great book from a historical standpoint, but certainly is a great asset in business.

[9days_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A classic that is as valuable for war strategies as it is for work and everyday relations.My edition is from Shambhala, and translated by Thomas Cleary (famed for his translations of Miyamoto Musashi's work, as well as his biography).In this edition, each of the passages is interpreted by 11 different people (from Li Quan to Zhang Yu), for scope and perspective. While it's not necessary to include so many interpreters, I find that the different perspectives (and wording) sometimes made Master Sun's wisdoms clearer.

[bfertig_2 · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

This is a manual and reads like one. Better to take in very small doses, digest and discuss rather than to read continuously.

[chellinsky · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

A subtle and fascinating philosophy on how to wage war. Knowledge of assured victory is key for Sun Tzu. At once it is esoteric and simple giving the reader the opportunity to find new angles and places to learn with each repeated reading. Intense and interesting. (Shambhala translation)

[afderrick · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

An interesting book, written with just short quips of information but it still seemed to flow rather seamlessly. A decent book with some good info, some of it could be still used today some of it would obviously not apply anymore to today's wars. A good read, enjoyable, and really quick.

[kidsisyphus · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

If you're already self-actualized (read: me), this is nothing but a bunch of shih.

[deldevries · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A classic! Well worth the read, and looking forward to reading again in the future.

[mbmackay · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Another translation (Ralph Sawyer) and lots of background history & hints of textual analysis - but fails to grab.Read July 2006

[msaucier818 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A very quick read of a classic. I had always been meaning to get around to this book, and I did not realize how short it was. The version I have contains more commentary than the actual writing, and I did not bother with the commentary.

The book is basically a series of maxims that describe how to lead as a general at war. I think its appeal is universal, and many of the ideas can be applied as strategic thinking in other aspects of life. I don't think it was all that profound, but then again, its ideas have been used for centuries. It was nice to be able to read where a lot of them came from.

[melissarochell-1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Classic, brilliant techniques put so simply. Yet, naturally, reading this as a modern day civilian, I applied it to my modern day battles such as in business, relationships, Los Angeles traffic...the typical. As a naturally paranoid person, I feel it did me more harm than good. In addition, I prefer to (perhaps ignorantly) avoid seeing things as if they are wars. Some things will never change though because I will always act shy and giggle right before I slaughter my enemy.

[aang2014 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Awesome for anyone looking for a good strategy book. helps with any type of war situation, I recommend reading it if you choose to go into the military.

[ablueidol · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Love the notion that the greatest leader is one that defeats the challege before it is known that the challenge exists. Here we are obsessed with the hero leader who battles with the mighty demons and after much struggle wins. I see this in schools where the head turns around a failing school and is seen as a great leader. But all too often they miss the greater leadership of the head who intervenes with a timely word here, a school event there keeps the school on track, Much better to read the straight translations rather then the art of war for the board room which often miss the point

[sumit_nangia-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

My first "android" book :)
3 days of boring lectures and you complete a whole book !!!!
A Sun Tzu's masterpiece on competition in a battlefield.An obstinate struggle to survive,to fight with a person's best spirits and a anecdote of survival in tough times. The book talks about various moves of enemies and optimum strategic judgement according to opponent's strength and weakness.
Main categories under which the comprehensive book is divided are: Laying plans, waging war, strategic attacks, energy, tactical dispositions, army on march, fire attacks and use of spies.
A book one of its kind. Precise, short statements without any kind of obfuscation, a provident manifestation of a probable war like situation.Indeed, a complete war time reference manual.

[ebooker_ben · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

It's worth reading just to say you have and because so many other books and films refer to it. I first read it in hopes of using it in corporate life but that's not always easy:Camp in high places, facing the sun. Do not climb heights in order to fight. So much for mountain warfare.

[soylentgreen23 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

How ironic that the copy I found in my apartment should have a foreword by James Clavell, author of "Shogun;" my Mum is forever mixing up China and Japan herself, and often remarks about the former when in fact I lived in the latter.The book, meanwhile, is an interesting couple of hours' read, but without a more thorough guide I don't see how I could use Sun Tzu's ideas to conquer Wall Street, as some have proposed.

[trilliams · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

It's amazing that this advice is still quite relevant 2500 years after the fact. Some of it, of course, isn't, but that'll happen. The historical allusions in Giles' translation/commentary are pretty useful, though occasionally it gets really deep into Chinese history and you forget who you are and what you're reading. What dynasty are we in again?