A military treatise from the pre-Qin period, it preserves some of the oldest military thought still extant in China, including highly classical principles of warfare from the early Spring and Autumn period. It is imbued with a strong aristocratic character. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, in the biography of Sima Rangju: “King Wei of Qi ordered his ministers to research the ancient Art of War of Sima and add Rangju to it, whereupon it was called The Art of War of Sima Rangju.” The Sima Rangju mentioned here was a native of Qi in the late Spring and Autumn period. His original surname was Tian, and his given name was Rangju. He once led troops to victory against Jin and Yan, and was later appointed by Duke Jing of Qi as the Grand Marshal in charge of military affairs. Later generations honored him as Sima Rangju. The Book of Han, in its Treatise on Literature, records that the original The Art of War of Sima comprised 155 volumes. Sadly, most of it has been lost over time, and only five chapters remain today.
