Die Kunst des Krieges: Wahrhaft siegt, wer nicht kämpft

Von Sun Tsu

Sun Tsus Werk ist ein zeitloser Klassiker der Strategie-Literatur, den jeder kennen sollte. | Psychologische Führung aller Beteiligten, Flexibilität und Taktik gegenüber dem Gegner, äußerste Disziplin in den eigenen Reihen - das sind Prinzipien, die allgemeingültig sind und nicht nur in der Armee, sondern in allen Organisationen, ja sogar im persönlichen Leben und in der Mann-Frau-Beziehung von entscheidender Bedeutung sind. | Für die eBook-Ausgabe neu lektoriert, mit modernisierter Rechtschreibung und verlinktem eBook-Inhaltsverzeichnis. In neuer, für das Textverständnis optimaler Übersetzung. Mit Begleitwort im Anhang | Über den Autor: Sun Tsu (auch Sun Tzu, Sunzi) war ein für seine Erfolge berühmter chinesischer Feldherr, der zwischen ca. 550 und 490 vor Christus lebte. Sein Strategieratgeber "Die Kunst des Krieges" dient bis heute in Militär, Politik und Wirtschaft als faszinierendes Lehrbuch.

• Sprache: Deutsch
• Herausgeber: EClassica
• Erscheinungsdatum: 25. Okt. 2017
• ISBN: 9783962558321

Buchvorschau

Über Sun Tsu

Über Sun Tsu weiß man relativ wenig: Er wurde in China im damaligen Reich Qi als Sohn einer adeligen Familie geboren, man vermutet, dass er in der Zeit zwischen ca. 550 und 490 v. Chr. gelebt hat. Als Feldherr war er für seine Erfolge berühmt: So wird etwa von einer Schlacht im Reich Chu berichtet, in der seine 30.000 Soldaten gegen eine zehnfache Übermacht siegten. Ob er im Felde starb oder nach seiner militärischen Karriere einen friedlichen Lebensabend genießen konnte, ist nicht bekannt.

Lesen Sie mehr im Begleitwort des Herausgebers

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I. Planung

SUN TSU SAGT: Die Kunst des Krieges ist für den Staat von überragender Bedeutung. Sie ist eine Sache von Leben und Tod, eine Straße, die zur Sicherheit oder in den Untergang führt. Darum darf sie keinesfalls vernachlässigt werden. Die Kunst des Krieges wird von fünf Faktoren bestimmt, die alle berücksichtigt werden müssen. Es sind dies: die Moral; der Himmel (die Bedingungen von Wetter und Zeit); das Gelände; die Führung und die Disziplin.

Das Gesetz der Moral (Tao) veranlasst die Menschen, mit ihrem Anführer völlig übereinzustimmen, so dass sie ihm ohne Rücksicht auf ihr Leben folgen und sich durch keine Gefahr abschrecken lassen.

Himmel bedeutet Wetter und seine Veränderungen, Kälte und Hitze, Nacht und Tag, Tageszeit und Jahreszeit.

Gelände bezeichnet große und kleine Entfernungen, offenes Gelände und schmale Pässe, die Bedingungen für überleben und getötet werden.

Führerschaft ist eine Sache der Intelligenz, der Weisheit, der Aufrichtigkeit und Glaubwürdigkeit, der Menschlichkeit, des Mutes und der Strenge.

Disziplin bedeutet Organisation, die Gliederung der Armee in die richtigen Untereinheiten, die angemessene Rangordnung, die Kontrolle der Logistik und der militärischen Ausgaben.

Diese fünf Faktoren müssen jedem General vertraut sein. Wer sie kennt, wird siegreich sein; wer sie nicht kennt, wird scheitern. Wenn du also die militärischen Chancen erfolgreich bestimmen willst, dann wäge mit folgenden Fragen ab: Welche politische Führung handelt im Einklang mit dem Gesetz der Moral? Welcher General führt seine Leute besser? Welche Armee ist die zahlenmäßig überlegene? Auf welcher Seite sind Offiziere und Mannschaften besser ausgebildet? Bei wem liegen die Vorteile, die Himmel (Sphäre) und Gelände bieten? Auf welcher Seite herrscht die größere Disziplin?

Mit Hilfe dieser Fragen kannst du Sieg oder Niederlage vorhersagen. Analysiere die Vorteile, die du aus meinen Ratschlägen ziehst, bündele deine Kräfte und stelle taktische Überlegungen an. Achte immer darauf, deine Kräfte so einzusetzen, dass es dir zum Vorteil gereicht.

Du Mu erwähnt die Geschichte des Cao Cao (155-220 n. Chr.), der so penibel auf die Disziplin achtete, dass er sich einmal, seinen eigenen strengen Vorschriften gegen die Verwüstung erntereifer Felder entsprechend, selbst zum Tode verurteilte, nachdem es ihm geschehen war, dass sein Pferd in ein Kornfeld ausbrach. Doch er wurde von seinen Männern überzeugt, nicht seinen Kopf zu opfern, sondern sein Gerechtigkeitsgefühl damit auszugleichen, dass er sich das Haar abschnitt. Dies war eine Schwächung der Disziplin. Denn: »Wenn du ein Gesetz erlässt, dann achte darauf, dass es nicht gebrochen wird; wenn es aber gebrochen wird, dann muss der Schuldige mit dem Tode bestraft werden.«

[Die auch im weiteren Text erscheinenden Einschübe stammen nicht von Sun Tsu selbst, sondern von verschiedenen chinesischen Interpreten seines Buches in späteren Jahrhunderten.]

*

Der General, der auf meinen Rat hört und nach ihm handelt, wird siegen – belasse ihm das Kommando. Jener, der nicht auf meinen Rat hört und nicht danach handelt, wird eine Niederlage erleiden – einen solchen musst du entlassen! Bedenke jedoch immer: Auch während du aus meinem Rat Gewinn ziehst, erwäge gleichzeitig alle anderen hilfreichen Umstände, die über diese Regeln hinausgehen. Bediene dich ihrer zu deinem Vorteil und passe deine Pläne entsprechend an.

Jede militärische Operation beinhaltet Täuschung. Wenn wir also fähig sind, anzugreifen, müssen wir unfähig erscheinen; wenn wir unsere Streitkräfte in Gang setzen, müssen wir passiv scheinen; wenn wir nahe sind, müssen wir den Feind glauben machen, dass wir weit entfernt sind. Und wenn wir weit entfernt sind, müssen wir ihn glauben machen, dass wir nahe sind. Lege Köder aus, um den Feind zu verwirren. Täusche Chaos vor, aber vernichte ihn mit Disziplin.

Wenn der Feind in allen Punkten gut gerüstet ist, dann sei auf ihn vorbereitet. Wenn er stärker ist, dann weiche ihm aus. Wenn dein Gegner ein cholerisches Temperament hat, dann versuche ihn zu reizen. Gib vor, schwach zu sein, damit er überheblich wird. Wenn er sich sammeln will, dann störe ihn dabei. Wenn seine Streitkräfte vereint sind, dann zersplittere sie. Greife ihn an, wo er unvorbereitet ist, mach einen Schachzug, wenn er es am wenigsten erwartet. Achte darauf, dass von deinen Plänen nichts an die Öffentlichkeit dringt.

Der siegreiche General spielt vor dem Kampf im Geiste viele Möglichkeiten durch. Der General, der verliert, war unüberlegt oder unwissend. Der Anführer der viele strategische Faktoren kennt und berücksichtigt, wird siegen. Der Anführer der wichtige strategische Faktoren ausser acht lässt, wird die Niederlage erleiden. Und jener, der von strategischen Faktoren überhaupt keine Ahnung hat, wird noch sicherer scheitern.

Wenn ich das Verhalten der Anführer unter diesem Blickwinkel betrachte, kann ich voraussagen, wer siegen und wer untergehen wird.

II. Über die Kriegsführung

WENN DU in eine Schlacht ziehst, wirst du vielleicht als Sieger daraus hervorgehen, aber deine Waffen werden stumpf und deine Kampfmoral leidet, falls sich der Krieg zu lange hinzieht. Belagerst du eine befestigte Stellung, wird sich deine Kraft erschöpfen. Wenn du deine Truppen zu lange Zeit im Feld belässt, wird es an Nachschub mangeln.

Wenn ein Krieg geführt wird, wenn tausend schnelle Wagen im Felde sind, zehntausend schwere Wagen und hunderttausend gepanzerte Soldaten mit genügend Vorräten, um tausend li (Ein Kilometer entspricht 1,72 li) weit zu ziehen, dann belaufen sich die Ausgaben zu Hause und an der Front, einschließlich des Proviants, Reparatur der Waffen, sogar Ausgaben für kleine Dinge wie Leim und Farbe für die Streitwagen, auf eine Gesamtsumme von tausend Unzen Silber am Tag. Dies sind die Kosten, wenn man eine Armee von hunderttausend Mann aufstellt.

Wenn der Kampf tatsächlich begonnen hat und der Sieg sich lange hinauszögert, dann werden die Waffen der

Rezensionen für Die Kunst des Krieges

[takeitorleaveit_1 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

you kind of have to read this, yah. so privately canonized.

[dverdecia-1 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

Tactics and strategies that apply to everyday life. This book is excellent reading to make you think about how to deal with the day to day struggles of life. It helps you position you versus your opponent. Your opponent need not be any one person. It could be a corporation. It could be an establishment. It could be a situation you are facing. I was once told that what you get out of a book is the effort you put into a book. It is my hope that this book can help someone master how they deal with day to day life. Let me know what you think. By the way, how many Enron or Worldcomm employees do you think read this book?

On another note, I would ask that you do not take this book literally. It is laced with allegory and a ton of symbolism. Please take its contents and apply them to your life for the good of all.

[chellerystick · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

Pretty dull going, even by audiobook. The narrators were great, though, and there were times that the footnotes saved me.

[deldevries · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

A classic! Well worth the read, and looking forward to reading again in the future.

[msaucier818 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

A very quick read of a classic. I had always been meaning to get around to this book, and I did not realize how short it was. The version I have contains more commentary than the actual writing, and I did not bother with the commentary.

The book is basically a series of maxims that describe how to lead as a general at war. I think its appeal is universal, and many of the ideas can be applied as strategic thinking in other aspects of life. I don't think it was all that profound, but then again, its ideas have been used for centuries. It was nice to be able to read where a lot of them came from.

[bfertig_2 · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

This is a manual and reads like one. Better to take in very small doses, digest and discuss rather than to read continuously.

[jasonpettus · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally here.)The CCLaP 100: In which I read for the first time a hundred so-called "classics," then write essays on whether or not they deserve the label. The Art of War is essay #27 of this series.The story in a nutshell:More of a technical manual than a piece of general literature, The Art of War is a field guide of sorts by famed Chinese military leader Sun Tzu, written it's believed sometime in the 6th century BC (during the period when China was coming together as a unified empire for the first time in history), as a way of instructing other commanders how to have as much success on the battlefield as he had had. (And please know that there's a debate among scholars as well regarding whether Sun Tzu even wrote this book by himself, or if like many other classics from antiquity this isn't in fact a sly compilation, gathering up the best thoughts back then from amongst a whole group of military strategists.) Now of course let's not forget that Sun Tzu was a Taoist as well, so of course his particular advice is going to be Taoist in nature, a very important thing to understand in order to really "get" this book; he sees the best war, for example, as the one that's never actually fought, because you've already dismantled the enemy's forces through sabotage and cunning to the point where they can't put up a resistance in the first place. And so it is throughout this extremely slim book (which in fact is more like a long magazine article) -- chapter after chapter of surprisingly spiritual text concerning the fine art of getting what you want, even when other people are actively trying to stop you from doing so.The argument for it being a classic:It's a 2,500-year-old book still being read and studied on a daily basis, argue its fans; what more do you want? And in the meanwhile, it's influenced nearly every Western military leader since first being translated into a Romantic language (French) in 1782, racking up a whole list of self-declared admirers from Napoleon to Norman Schwarzkopf. And if this weren't enough, starting in the 1980s it also gained a whole new life as a surprisingly apt if not Machiavellian guide to the corporate business world, best typified by symbol-of-yuppie-greed Gordon Gekko from Oliver Stone's fantastic movie Wall Street, who is constantly walking around quoting from it as a way to justify his monstrous, inhuman actions. If all of this isn't enough to safely consider a book a classic, ask its fans, what is?The argument against:The case against this being a classic seems to be one used a lot with books over a thousand years old; that even if that book turns out to be historically important (and it usually does), it might be better at this point to actually study the book and how it affected society, not read the book itself for pleasure anymore. Always remember, that's part of how I'm defining "classic" here in this CCLaP 100 series, is not just how important that title has been to human history, but also whether it's worth literally sitting down and reading it page-for-page yourself, no matter if you have any specific interest in that book's subject or not. If it's yes on the former but no on the latter, as critics of this book claim, then by my definition it's not a classic, but rather simply a historically important book that should be studied by the general public but not necessarily read.My verdict:So let me start by admitting how surprisingly readable this is for being 2,500 years old, and that it really does translate metaphorically to the business world surprisingly elegantly; after all, since it's a guide to war written by a Taoist, it's more of a symbolic examination of how to get out of life what you want the most, even in the face of tough opposition, with advice that is surprisingly relevant to the modern world even when he's talking about the mechanics of medieval Asian warfare. (Just for one example, near the beginning he talks in one paragraph about how a successful commander will literally steal the food of their enemy, both to sap the enemy's strength and to avoid the burden of having to carry all that food to battle themselves; this may not seem to have much relevance to the modern business world at first, until you stop and think about it in terms of stealing talent from your competitors, literally the intellectual "food" nourishing their "army" of goods and services competing against your own.)That said, though, I think ultimately I'm going to have to side with the critics this time; that unless you're a military commander or corporate raider yourself, most people's eyes are going to quickly gloss over while trying to read this book, merely after the first few pages. Now, don't get me wrong, I definitely think this should be a primer for people who are getting into the profession themselves; this should for sure be a must-read not only for soldiers, for example, but also the politicians in charge of those soldiers' budgets. But this is a perfect example of the surprisingly complicated process of determining whether a book is a classic or not, the entire reason I started this essay series in the first place; because unless competitive strategy actually is your business, most people will find it more rewarding to spend their time reading up on how this book has affected history, and of the circumstances in ancient China that led to it getting written in the first place. There's really only one major lesson in The Art of War for a non-military general audience to get -- that most battles are won based on how well one can surprise the enemy, usually by deceiving them using their own weaknesses (to act incompetent when the enemy is haughty, for example, threatening when they're meek, picking them off at the edges when they outnumber you, destroying their supply lines when they're far from home); for those not interested in the nitty-gritty of how to actually accomplish such things, though, there's actually a lot more to be learned by studying how such a thing has been attempted over the centuries, making the book certainly important but not necessarily a classic.Is it a classic? No

[paven-14534 · Bewertung: 1 von 5 Sternen]

Interesting if you are going to role play a general or ambitious warrior.

[colie77 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

I honestly have no idea why this is always on the list of must-read books. You are basically reading the bullet points of someone's strategic plan to win a battle. Meh. At least it was only an hour and a half.

[spoko_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Many of Sun Tzu's ideas are common-sense enough, but succinctly put here. It's a quick, easy read, so it's not hard to make the case that it's worth the time. But gliding through it effortlessly will make it difficult for the ideas to really stick. So I guess it's also easy to make the case for at least one re-read. I'll probably give it another go myself in the near future, but for now I'm happy with the bits and pieces I've gleaned. It certainly didn't change my life or anything, but then I didn't expect it to.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

Tempted to give it four stars because it is so much better than so much other Heinlein. But that's not worth much, actually. I did have to edit the blurb, however.

[jenniferforjoy · Bewertung: 1 von 5 Sternen]

Somewhat hilariously literal. I'm not sure why this is still used as such a popular business and strategy book. Praise for being extremely clear and concise, but criticism for stating the obvious while seeming to be willfully ignorant of external factors with advice along the lines of "Don't make any mistakes and you will win." WELL THANKS. NEVER WOULD'VE THOUGHT OF THAT MYSELF.

[whbiii · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

Vapid martial homilies.

[lydia1879 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

“Move not unless you see an advantage, use not your troops unless there is something to be gained, fight not unless the position is critical.”

I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu through an app called Serial Reader, which breaks up longer books, novellas and short stories into manageable pieces that a reader can read in 12 minutes a day. I love to use Serial Reader when I’m waiting for the bus, in the line at the post office, whenever I feel like I have a few moments, but not necessarily long enough to take out a book and find my place.

I also really like Serial Reader because I tend to read things I wouldn’t otherwise read, but so far I’ve really enjoyed all the stories and novels that I’ve read.

I found The Art of War to be surprisingly readable, considering it was written around the 5th century, BCE and has been translated countless times since then. It’s much more philosophical than I had anticipated, and in a way, deeply spiritual.

Of course it’s dry. It is. It is an ancient military self-help book, none of it is relevant to me. There are lots of lists about the different kinds of ground an army might fight on, different types of weather, how to traverse it all.

And yet I found it interesting.

I appreciated that this translator (and, I suppose, author) warned against fighting at all. If you want to occupy a town, best to get the enemy to surrender to you painlessly, so that the town is in tact and nothing is destroyed. Sun Tzu really speaks to the desperation of war, how the last thing anyone wants to do in a war is fight, but if you have to fight, this is what you need to do.

I’m glad I read this text. I often found myself reading it and wondering about all the people, leaders, warriors, stay-at-home mothers who’d read it before, who were reading it with me. What did they learn from it? How did they feel reading it? Was it more relevant to their lives than it was to mine?

That, in and of itself, is a fascinating thing to think about, don’t you think?

[shahnareads · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Defiantly some good tips in here. I can see why other countries armies are so well disciplined if they still use these tactics. Some of them could also work for dealing with people as well. Some handy things in here.

It's easy to read, but he repeats things a lot, and some of the sentence are worded strangely. And then, some lines are written like poetry.

It was a something different, and I'm glad I picked it up.

[lynnb_64 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I'm so glad I finally read this historic book. I found it very interesting and understand why it has been adapted to suit other fields -- notably management. And the version of the book I bought is beautiful in itself. Bound in traditional Chinese style, with each page folded in half and only printed on the outside. Hard to rate -- it is what it is as they say -- but I'm rating it highly because it has stood the test of time.

[spooks101-1 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

An enduring classic, an absolute must-read for every business person and military mind the world over.

[madepercy-1 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

I have read this several times in a variety of translations. This version is formatted like a poem and is a quick read. Interesting that Sun Tzu echoes many of the issues raised by Thucydides. I remember an Instructor Gunnery during my Regimental Officers Basic Course from the United States artillery beginning every lesson with: "Sun Tzu says...". And, "If a 155 round lands on a tank, the tank is toast". So much in such a short book and it was quite possibly written before Thucydides was born.

[beammey · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book, to be honest. I just made a promise to myself I would read more classics and this was a short one to get in so I can reach my reading goal. However, I ended up really, really enjoying it. I'm not a soldier by any stretch of the imagination, but there is good, solid advice in this book that is still relevant thousands of years after it was written. It's worth a read for sure, and it's so short you can get through it quickly. I would recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

[kamgeb · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

During a sermon, the rabbi talked about this book and said that it was really a philosophy on how to live life. When I started reading it, I saw that it really is a book on how to wage war. Definitely not what I expected and definitely not a book I would ever want to read.

[jculkin-1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I read this and let my mind wander a little, but not too much. Invariably whatever I think about mixes with the words, and elegant, clear observations come out. It's like guided meditation.

[michael_rose-1 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

The version I have also has a second section for commentaries on all the passages. It's an incredibly useful and insightful book, and not necessarily just for literal war.

[areadingmachine · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

Everyone should read this.

It tells you as much about motivation and human compunction than any other book Ive ever read. This should be required reading for teachers, businessmen, cops, everyone that every has to deal with a group of people in a possibly hostile setting.

[trilliams · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

It's amazing that this advice is still quite relevant 2500 years after the fact. Some of it, of course, isn't, but that'll happen. The historical allusions in Giles' translation/commentary are pretty useful, though occasionally it gets really deep into Chinese history and you forget who you are and what you're reading. What dynasty are we in again?

[jimocracy · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

The original book was interesting but the commentary portion of the book was insightful. I liked hearing perspective on Master Sun's work from other ancient military leaders.

[benuathanasia · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Fascinating. My particular copy (an audiobook) included modern comparisons between each chapter which was horribly annoying. The observations in the book maintain their usefulness to the present.

[saltvand-1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

I decided to read The Art of War because of references to it in the best/only good general marketing book I read during my commerce education: Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning. I was curious to see why a modern marketing handbook would have references to a classic handbook in ancient warfare, and why The Art of War is such a famous book.

I can see now why the book is famous: it is because its warfare principles are generally applicable to competitive situations - including marketing and politics (maybe office politics too?)

I expected a heavy brick of an analytic strategy book, but it is the opposite: a thin, minimalist poetry book.

It is a piece of art. The pattern of words is aesthetically pleasing and produces vivid imagery of ancient armies moving and camping in harsh terrains; yet the strange scenery and poetic style conveys core strategic principles for competition with great accuracy.

Essentially, The Art of War encourages careful consideration of the dynamics of all situational variables (listing them), and discourages impulsive and dumb warfare, which is any warfare driven by an irrational motive, or which can not be won quickly with minimal loss.

[jvioland_1 · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

Very fundamental axioms of strategies put forward by an ancient Chinese general. Influential even today not only in military matters but in the business world as well.

[mgeorge2755 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

Quite possibly the most influential book on military tactics of all time. I was incredibly surprised by its brevity. A must-read for any historian. 

[joeyee-4 · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

Don't like this edition. The history is boring and confusing (chi, Ch'i, ch'i all mean different things) 1 star for the edition and history part.

The actual Art of War is good. 3 stars.