The Art Of War Summary: The 13 Greatest Chapters In History

It’s an understatement to say that The Art of War is a must-read book.

This 5th-century collection of Chinese military strategies shines with sound relevance that applies not just to warfare, but business, careers, relationships, and many other aspects of life.

It’s not just a military reliquary popularized as a self-help manual; you have to constantly read it and proactively draw comparisons to your way of thinking.

In this The Art of War summary, we’ll briefly go over its 13 chapters for your convenience.

Overview of The Art of War

Allegedly, Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War approximately 2,500 years ago. Although little is known about him, this Chinese military general and strategist developed one of the most well-known collections of notable teachings and principles on war strategies.

Throughout the chapters, Sun Tzu breaks down critical scenarios in warfare and filters them with increasingly nuanced thinking and metaphors that can be effortlessly adapted into contemporary insight.

He highlights exceptionally insightful passages that can be easily implemented in everyday life, making it a must-read book for almost everybody.

The Art of War Summary by Chapters

Sun Tzu presents his ideas in 13 chapters that detail many different circumstances of warfare and how to approach the problems with a specific mindset for each one.

Chapter 1: Laying Plans

Sun Tzu introduces five critical elements in this chapter, each forming the foundation of a well-planned ‘attack’:

Moral influence

This characteristic shows the leader’s ability to inspire confidence and willingness in his people to endure war.

The passageways speak about the importance of assessing problems with both an ethical and confident approach through moral law.

Weather and Terrain

Weather and terrain significantly affect a general’s method of troop deployment.

You can draw an analogy to understanding your troops’ overall condition, being aware of your surroundings, and working on your ability to predict certain scenarios.

Command

This pertains to the leader’s charisma and how he encourages his soldiers to follow his orders and share a main goal.

Doctrine

It involves logistical aspects like rank allocation and supply regulation.

It’s otherwise known as the ability to always be prepared to re-stock resources and properly spend them.

Chapter 2: Waging War

This chapter breaks down the many ideas of swift, decisive action during a battle.

The chapter delves into many specifics about the most optimal allocation of horses and soldiers but strictly emphasizes the importance of agility and flexibility.

He also speaks about the importance of understanding your resources thoroughly, avoiding untimely resupply runs, maintaining consistent strategies, and being prepared in the face of unforeseen circumstances.

The chapter states that the most effective leaders are attuned to their soldiers’ physical abilities and mental states and the ability to be prepared for all contingencies.

Chapter 3: Attack by Stratagem

This chapter talks about the main goals of your campaign, subduing your enemy without much fighting, and lists out important military tactics like:

• Disrupting the enemy’s strategy or plans;
• Separating the enemy from their allies;
• Predicting your victories;
• Knowing exactly when it’s necessary to attack the enemy.

One of the most memorable ideas in this chapter is that you must attack only when there is no alternative while constantly keeping overwhelming emotions at bay.

Sun Tzu shows this through the example of emperor T’ai Wu when he asked an opposing general for some wine, but the general sent the emperor a pot of urine as a sign of rebellious action.

The emperor then commandeered an army of 100,000 soldiers with the military capacity to attack the general’s city for his insolence but lost nearly half of his troops in the process because of a hasty temper.

One of the most famous quotes from this chapter reads:

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” – Sun Tzu

Chapter 4: Tactical Dispositions

The main idea here is you should never assume victory or take it for granted.

Through the elements of war, you must consider the military tactics of measuring space, estimating quantities, and making calculations and comparisons to finally assess your chances of victory.

The chapter also points out that a good leader knows the difference between offense and defense regarding control.

It highlights the importance of knowing what is in your control and beyond it.

Another critical point is the necessity to keep your soldiers’ morale in check and never to celebrate predictable victories over inferior forces.

Chapter 5: Energy

Sun Tzu insists that a successful leader must merge his troops into a singular, unified force that relies on a well-ordered structure of command.

He talks about ‘a pyramid of command’, built from individual soldiers upward into progressively larger units.

Sun Tzu adds that amassing superior forces comes from the limitless combinations of a few elements in a well-structured manner.

The chapter also highlights how leaders can use lures and trickery to surpass the enemy’s resistance.

Chapter 6: Weak Points and Strong Points

Sun Tzu addresses the importance of maintaining secrecy and forcing the enemy to lower their guard while considering their weaknesses and strengths.

He proposes the idea of looking like an easy target to trick enemies to attack you, ultimately beating them in their own game where you can attack unguarded spots.

The strategic use of perceived strength and catching the enemy unprepared favors leaders who can manipulate circumstances and bait enemies into engagements with no chance of retreat.

Chapter 7: Maneuvering

Here, Sun Tzu talks about a faux military strategy of keeping the enemy guessing by appearing aimless while having a focused path.

Sun Tzu also advises leaders to use this method to train subordinates to obey difficult commands.

He retells the story when he attempted to train concubines into soldiers while being mocked for it.

Sun Tzu executed two of the emperor’s favorite concubines to instill necessary fear into the unruly would-be soldiers, and create order among the troops.

Chapter 8: Variation in Tactics

This chapter shows us how to adjust strategies based on various scenarios.

Some situations require avoiding confrontation, while in others, cowardice and fear spell defeat.

Sun Tzu identifies five dangerous faults:

• Recklessness
• Fear
• Impatience
• Excessive honor
• Extreme empathy for soldiers

Each of these can result in a defeat or catastrophe.

The main principle is that a great leader recognizes these negative characteristics and adapts to specific situations.

Chapter 9: The Army on the March

This chapter teaches us how to use disciplined marching, strategic troop formation, weather, and terrain to outmaneuver an enemy.

He suggests using environmental factors, like sunlight positioning, land features, or even adverse weather, to gain the upper hand.

Drawing on the historical example of the Yellow Emperor, who conquered four sovereigns, he illustrates how using these factors can lead to victory.

The essence of his advice is to use tactical awareness and environmental advantages to defeat the enemy.

Chapter 10: Classification of Terrain

This chapter follows up on how the battlefield terrain influences the war and categorizes them into four types: accessible, entangling, deadlock, and enclosed.

Sun Tzu advises leaders on effectively using these terrains through situational adaptation.

The chapter also discusses how a leader traverses and uses a certain terrain and indicates the leader’s strengths or weaknesses.

Chapter 11: The Nine Situations

This chapter is a roadmap of different scenarios a leader might encounter.

Sun Tzu lists nine scenarios of how a battle unfolds, starting with non-conflict grounds to the most difficult to fight.

On these grounds, you should never fight:

• Dispersive ground: Your territory;
• Frontier ground: Barely penetrates your enemies’ land;
• Key ground: Neutral or mutual territories.

As a leader, you can gain allies or resources if you engage on:

• Communicating ground: Good for setting fortifications on;
• Focal ground: Surrounded by multiple states behind enemy lines.;
• Serious ground: Deep into enemy territory. Presents an opportunity to capture prisoners and resources, but difficult to retreat from.

Avoid these grounds:

• Difficult ground: These terrains are generally cliffs, mountains, swamps, rivers, and other unfavorable surroundings;
• Encircled ground: Surrounded by other large forces;
• Death ground: Forests, precipices, ravines, marshlands, and any ground where your army can be ambushed. This will truly test your army’s discipline and strength.

Chapter 12: The Attack by Fire

Sun Tzu chooses fire as the most effective weapon of war for burning your enemies, destroying their supplies, sowing discord, and cutting off their communications.

A great leader should immediately follow up with a physical attack after burning their enemies’ villages without waiting for the fire to go out.

He notes that this method heavily relies on the weather and how a leader should be wary of a misdirected wind that can ultimately turn the fire against their armies.

Chapter 13: The Use of Spies

The final chapter talks about the use of spies in warfare and managing conflicts with the help of gathered information.

Here are the main types noted:

• Native and Inside agents: The former are from the enemy, while the latter are yours.
• Double agents and Expendable agents: These are your enemies’ surviving spies. The best strategy is not to execute them but to use them at your whim, bribe them or present them with false information, send them back, and use the outcome to your advantage.
• Living agents: These invaluable agents have an unbreakable will; a good leader must know how to recognize them and use their potential.

Although they are counterintelligence soldiers, Sun Tzu highlights the importance of knowledge and how it can be used to your advantage.

Wrapping Up

The Art of War conveys more than just symbolic guidelines for dealing with people and problems.

It’s a literary monolith of resourceful thinking, and this is what makes it a timeless classic.

While it’s a challenge to apply these ideas to some aspects of life properly, there are other ways to skim through books besides a book summary.

You can always find great apps like Blinkist or Headway that distill great books like these into bite-sized pieces without the loss of crucial info.

We hope The Art of War summary has helped you understand the main idea. For more summaries on self-help books, you can check out the 48 Laws of Power.