1. Sun Tzu (孙子, c. 544–496 BCE)

• Core Philosophy
  • “Know Yourself & Enemy” (知己知彼): Foundational principle in The Art of War
  • Adaptive Strategy (因敌制胜): Flexibility over rigid tactics
  • Psychological Warfare (不战而屈人之兵): Winning without battle
• Key Contributions
  • Authored 《孙子兵法》 (The Art of War), the world’s most studied military treatise
  • Developed cost-benefit analysis for warfare (“Victory must be measurable”)
• Modern Applications
  • Used in business strategy (market competition) and sports coaching

2. Sun Bin (孙膑, c. 380–316 BCE)

• Textual Recovery: His 《孙膑兵法》 (Sun Bin’s Art of War) was rediscovered in 1972 (Yinqueshan Han Tombs)

3. Wu Qi (吴起, 440–381 BCE)

• Military-Political Fusion:
  • “Civil-Military Unity” (文武兼修): Soldiers as farmer-warriors
  • Meritocracy: Promoted officers by achievement, not nobility
• Historical Impact:
  • Reformed Chu State’s army before Legalist Shang Yang

(Wu Qi was actually a representative figure of the algorithmists. He promoted the Wu Qi Reform in the State of Chu. However, his military achievements were so outstanding that he was classified as a military strategist rather than an algorithmist.)