Sun Wu (535 B. C.~480 B. C.), whose courtesy name was Changqing, was born at Le'an (now Huimin，Shandong Province).
孙武(公元前535年~公元前480年)，字长卿，齐国乐安(今山东惠民)人，春秋末年著名军事学家。
Revered as "Sun Zi", he was a well-known military strategist in late Spring and Autumn Period. To escape from domestic chaos, he took refuge in the State of Wu, where he was appointed general by the king. Under his command, the forces of Wu defeated the strong army of the State of Chu, subdued the people of the State of Yue, and deterred the states of Qi and Wei.
世称“孙子”。因避乱奔吴，被吴王任命为将军，西破强楚，南服越人，北威齐晋，为吴国立下汗马功劳。
Sun Wu's The Art of War, composed of 13 articles, was the first systematic book on military strategies and tactics in ancient China and one of the earliest works on military strategies and tactics in the world.
撰有《兵法》13篇，是中国古代第一部有系统的兵书，也是世界上最早的系统精辟地论述战略战术问题的军事学著作。

In his theories, the art of war lies in the strategies of conquering the enemy. He held that five factors are of pivotal importance in the military affairs, that is, dao ( the moral law ), tian (heaven), di (earth), jiang (the commander)，and fa (method and discipline).
在战争中，如何制敌取胜是孙子军事学理论中首要的问题，他认为有5种因素最重要，即“道”、“天”、“地”、“将”、“法”。
Dao refers to political strategies, which require the monarch and his people to make concerted efforts to support the war.
“道”即政治，要求君民和衷共济，上下同心同德。
Tian and di refer to the natural conditions in warfare.
“天”与“地”是白然条件，在战争中起重要作用。
Jiang refers to the qualities of the military commander，in which “zhi (wit), xin (credibility), ren (benevolence), yong(courage), yan (strictness)” are a must.
“将”指将帅的素质，孙子提出，将帅必须具备“智、信、仁、勇、严”5种品质。
Fa refers to the relevant rules and regulations during warfare. Decrees must be issued and the systems of penalties and rewards must be applied to reinforce these rules and regulations and to heighten morale.
“法”是制度规范，要建立健全的法令制度，运用赏罚的手段来加强法纪，激励士气。
In The Art of War, Sun Wu elaborated on his strategic principles, which include ample preparations before war, better manoeuvrability over the adversaries, go-ahead offensive tactics, mobile and allied warfare, secret operations and flexible commanding without always obeying the sovereign's decrees.
《孙子兵法》中阐述最多、最出色的是战略战术，战前充分准备、贵以智谋取胜、掌握战争主动权、打运动战与速决战、行动神秘莫测、将帅指挥不受君主干扰，这些都是孙子的战略原则。
The Art of War is rich in dialect thoughts, an example of which is Sun Zi's suggestion that the interactions among climatic, geographical and human factors are pivotal in combats. Also of pivotal importance are the quick and flexible reactions to complicated situations, on which Sun Zi pointed out that " he who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain".
另外，他提出临阵击敌的战术技巧有“诡道”十四法、“四治”战法、集中优势兵力、出奇制胜、因地制宜、势险节短、讲究阵法、用兵“八戒”等。《孙子兵法》中充满了辩证思想，如他强调“将”、“天”、“地”三者之间的互动互制，提出了综合天、地、人为一体的系统沦思想。他还强调变化，“能因敌变化而取胜者谓之神”。
His assertion that "all warfare is based on deception" reveals his perception of the special nature of strategics as an art.
此外，他认为“兵者，诡道也”，揭示了军事的特殊规律。