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El arte de la guerra (nueva traducción)
136 pages, Hardcover
Published November 19, 2025
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5 people want to read
About the author
Sun Tzu
1,312 books3,560 followersSun Tzu (traditional Chinese: 孫子; simplified Chinese: 孙子; pinyin: Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). 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 thought. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu (traditional Chinese: 孫武; simplified Chinese: 孙武) and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing (Chinese: 長卿). The name Sun Tzu—by which he is more popularly known—is an honorific which means "Master Sun".
Sun Tzu mastered the military science of ancient China and created the military doctrine of asymmetrical warfare. According to it, an attack on the enemy should begin only after the enemy has no opportunity to either defend or counterattack. It was used in the wars in the era of the Warring States in ancient China (about 475–221 BC). It differs from the modern interpretation of asymmetric military strategy. The ancient warriors used to call it the Victorious Methods of Warfare (sheng er zhan zhi), but it has the same meaning as the modern asymmetrical military strategy. The ancient professional warriors used it in individual combats against the enemies in the wars. As a result, a variety of armed and unarmed combat combinations have been created for various combat situations as the individual battle plans. Those combat combinations had specific names, descriptions and classifications.
Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. 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. Modern scholars accepting his historicity place the extant text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period of 475 to 221 BC, based on its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare. Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since both Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as "Sun Tzu" in classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical, prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.
Sun Tzu's work has been praised and employed throughout the arc of East Asian military history since its composition, and eventually earned global attention. During the twentieth century, The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in the Western world as well. It remains influential in many contemporary competitive endeavors across the modern world beyond military strategy and warfare, including espionage, culture, governance, business, and sports.
Sun Tzu mastered the military science of ancient China and created the military doctrine of asymmetrical warfare. According to it, an attack on the enemy should begin only after the enemy has no opportunity to either defend or counterattack. It was used in the wars in the era of the Warring States in ancient China (about 475–221 BC). It differs from the modern interpretation of asymmetric military strategy. The ancient warriors used to call it the Victorious Methods of Warfare (sheng er zhan zhi), but it has the same meaning as the modern asymmetrical military strategy. The ancient professional warriors used it in individual combats against the enemies in the wars. As a result, a variety of armed and unarmed combat combinations have been created for various combat situations as the individual battle plans. Those combat combinations had specific names, descriptions and classifications.
Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. 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. Modern scholars accepting his historicity place the extant text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period of 475 to 221 BC, based on its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare. Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since both Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as "Sun Tzu" in classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical, prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.
Sun Tzu's work has been praised and employed throughout the arc of East Asian military history since its composition, and eventually earned global attention. During the twentieth century, The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in the Western world as well. It remains influential in many contemporary competitive endeavors across the modern world beyond military strategy and warfare, including espionage, culture, governance, business, and sports.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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December 10, 2025No sé qué decir-
Espero no tener que vérmelas en las de poner en práctica las enseñanzas del libro(?) Pero muy interesante eh
Espero no tener que vérmelas en las de poner en práctica las enseñanzas del libro(?) Pero muy interesante eh
January 24, 2026
No sé muy bien qué esperaba de "El arte de la Guerra". Lo compré porque encontré una edición que me llamó muchísimo la atención en una librería y decidí leerlo porque es un clásico ampliamente conocido, además de que me apetecía algo más ligero entre lecturas más densas.
Se supone que Sun Tzu fue un pionero en el ámbito de la estrategia militar y que gran parte del pensamiento estratégico posterior bebe directamente de su obra. Sin embargo, desde mi punto de vista, el libro se limita en muchos casos a exponer ideas que hoy resultan bastante evidentes. Eso sí, soy consciente de que toda sabiduria que a día de hoy es “obvia” en otra época pudo no serlo.
Aun así, me cuesta comprender cómo un tratado militar chino de hace más de 2.500 años sigue resultando tan fascinante para tanta gente hoy en día. Personalmente, no sé siquiera si considerarlo una obra literaria como tal, sino más bien un texto de estudio, casi académico, cuyo interés reside más en su valor histórico y su influencia que en la experiencia de lectura en sí.
Para mí, es un libro históricamente interesante, breve y que está bien leer al menos una vez en la vida. No obstante, no es una lectura que repetiría. Puedo apreciar su importancia histórica, militar y cultural, pero no creo que sea una obra pensada, ni especialmente disfrutable, para un público amplio.
Nota: 2/5
Se supone que Sun Tzu fue un pionero en el ámbito de la estrategia militar y que gran parte del pensamiento estratégico posterior bebe directamente de su obra. Sin embargo, desde mi punto de vista, el libro se limita en muchos casos a exponer ideas que hoy resultan bastante evidentes. Eso sí, soy consciente de que toda sabiduria que a día de hoy es “obvia” en otra época pudo no serlo.
Aun así, me cuesta comprender cómo un tratado militar chino de hace más de 2.500 años sigue resultando tan fascinante para tanta gente hoy en día. Personalmente, no sé siquiera si considerarlo una obra literaria como tal, sino más bien un texto de estudio, casi académico, cuyo interés reside más en su valor histórico y su influencia que en la experiencia de lectura en sí.
Para mí, es un libro históricamente interesante, breve y que está bien leer al menos una vez en la vida. No obstante, no es una lectura que repetiría. Puedo apreciar su importancia histórica, militar y cultural, pero no creo que sea una obra pensada, ni especialmente disfrutable, para un público amplio.
Nota: 2/5
December 14, 2025
Llevaba tiempo detrás del libro pero estaba esperando a una edición que me llamase la atención. Esta es perfecta. Convierte un libro denso en algo facilísimo de leer. Lecciones de guerra que sirven para el día a día.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews