Sun Bin

Sun Bin
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinSūn Bìn
Wade–GilesSun Pin
Sun Bin

Sun Bin (died 316 BC) was a Chinese general, military strategist, and writer who lived during the Warring States period of Chinese history. A supposed descendant of Sun Tzu, Sun was tutored in military strategy by the hermit Guiguzi. He was accused of treason by Pang Juan while serving in the Wei state and was sentenced to face-tattooing (criminal branding) and had his kneecaps removed, permanently crippling him. Sun later escaped from Wei and rose to prominence in the Qi state, serving as a military strategist and commander. He led Qi to victory against the Wei state at the Battle of Guiling and the Battle of Maling, killing Pang Juan in the battle and avenging himself in the process. Sun authored the military treatise Sun Bin's Art of War, which was rediscovered in a 1972 archaeological excavation after being lost for almost 2000 years.