Modern scholars accepting his historicity place the extant text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period based on its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare. The Han dynasty historian Sima Qian and other traditional Chinese historians placed him as a minister to King Helü of Wu and dated his lifetime to 544–496 BC. The name Sun Tzu by which he is more popularly known is an honorific which means "Master Sun". His birth name was Sun Wu ( Chinese: 孫武) and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing ( Chinese: 長卿). Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure.
His works focus much more on alternatives to battle, such as stratagem, delay, the use of spies and alternatives to war itself, the making and keeping of alliances, the uses of deceit, and a willingness to submit, at least temporarily, to more powerful foes.
Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thinking. Sun Tzu ( / s uː n ˈ d z uː, s uː n ˈ s uː/ soon DZOO, soon SOO Chinese: 孫子 pinyin: Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and philosopher who lived in the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China. Military general, tactician, writer, philosopher