Editing Sun Tzu

{{Era|Individuals}}{{WP-REAL}}
'''Sun Wu''' (孫武; 544 BCE – 496 BCE),<ref name="Timeline">Sun Wu. "The Life and Times of Sun Tzŭ". In ''The Art of War''. Barnes & Noble Signature Edition, pp. ix–xii. Translated by Lionel Giles. Introduction by Jan Willem Honig. Supplementary material by Ilmari Käihkö. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing, 2012.</ref> commonly known as '''Sun Tzu''' (孫子, i.e. 'Master Sun'), was a [[China|Chinese]] military strategist who lived during the {{Wiki|Spring and Autumn period}}. Traditionally believed to have served King {{wiki|Helü of Wu}} (r. 514 BCE–496 BCE), he is credited as the author of ''{{Wiki|The Art of War}}'' (孫子兵法), one of the most influential treatises on the fundamental principles, stratagems, and logistics of war.<ref name="Honig 2012">Sun Wu. Introduction to ''The Art of War''. Barnes & Noble Signature Edition, pp. xv–xxiii. Translated by Lionel Giles. Introduction by Jan Willem Honig. Supplementary material by Ilmari Käihkö. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing, 2012.</ref>

''The Art of War'' was significant for not only conventional military forces but also for the covert action philosophy of the [[Hidden Ones]]. Its influence can be witnessed in the way the Chinese Hidden Ones translated the name of their organization: [[wikt:無形|無形者]] (Mandarin: ''Wúxíngzhě'', Cantonese: ''Mòuyìng-tsé''), literally meaning 'Those who are Formless'. The term 無形 (Mandarin: ''wúxíng'', Cantonese: ''mòuyìng'') or ''Formless'' appears in the sixth chapter, "Weak Points and Strong" (虛實):
<blockquote>「故形兵之極，至于'''無形'''；'''無形'''，則深間不能窺，智者不能謀。亅 {{c|Chapter VI, line 6}}<ref name="Sun Tzu">Sun Wu. "Weak Points and Strong". In ''The Art of War''. ''Chinese Text Project''. Accessed 16 April 2023. https://ctext.org/art-of-war/weak-points-and-strong</ref>

"In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to '''conceal them'''; '''conceal your dispositions''', and you will be safe from the prying of the subtlest spies, from the machinations of the wisest brains." {{c|Translated by {{wiki|Lionel Giles}}, 1910}}<ref name="Fresh River Press">Sun Wu. "Weak Points and Strong". In ''The Art of War''. Illustrated Edition, pp. 124–135. Translated by Lionel Giles. Introduction by Jan Willem Honig. New York, NY: Fall River Press, 2014.</ref>

"Therefore the peak of troop formation is to be '''formless'''; be '''formless''', and even the most immersed of spies would not be able to pry, nor would the wisest be able to plot." {{c|Original wiki translation}}
</blockquote>
In 756, as [[Li E]], the last surviving [[Hidden Ones of the Great Desert]], made his escape from the [[Golden Turtles]]' captivity within the [[Mengshan Giant Buddha]], he composed himself for a [[Leap of Faith]] by reciting this line, having made peace with the loss of his mentor, [[Éléna]], and his other comrades. Before the guards pursuing him could reach him, he dived from the Buddha's eye into the river below with the affirmation that he was a "[[Hidden Ones of the Great Tang|Hidden One of the Great Tang]].<ref name="Dynasty 33">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[The Hidden Ones (Part 1)]]</ref>

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' {{c|Mo}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:544 BCE births]]
[[Category:496 BCE deaths]]
[[Category:Individuals]]
[[Category:Chinese]]
[[Category:Han Chinese]]
[[Category:Generals]]
[[Category:Philosophers]]
[[Category:Authors]]