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Thread: Good translation of "The Art of War?"

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
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    Oberlin, Ohio
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    Good translation of "The Art of War?"

    I still have not read Sun Tzu's "The Art of War." Does anyone know of a good translation?
    thanks,
    adam
    "That is because you are stupid"
    -Zorro

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Massachusetts
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    I like Thomas Cleary's version a lot, but to be honest that's the only one I've read.

  3. #3
    Lowsweep.

    I use a Copy of a transaltion that got from Project Gutenberg.
    Translation by Lionel Giles.

    advantage of this version is that it is free and can be downloaded from a variety of servers.

    Hope this helps.

    P.S.: Ask 10 people about a good translation and you will get 10 different translations and about 40 Opinions.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Melbourne, Australia
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    The Thomas Cleary transalation is very good. It also includes commentary from other military masters from the past.
    Adam Stanecki - Practitioner of common sense.

    "Think for yourself. Question authority." - Timothy Leary

    Fluid Fitness - www.fluidfitness.com.au
    Dominance Mixed Martial Arts - www.dominance.com.au

  5. #5
    I like the one by Samuel B. Griffith printed by the Oxford Univerity Press, but that is also the only one I've read.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Another vote of confidence

    Have to be honest but The Thomas Cleary version is considerably superior to most others. I would also strongly reccommend that you read his excellent translation of "Sun Tzu 2, The Lost Art of War" by Sun Tzu's younger successor Sun Bin. It has a rather interesting background to this characters life, and highlights the greater intervention of Taoist thought into his thinking.

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