the I ‘Sfluo, succeeded in restOring a very large number
of doubtful passages, and turned out, on the whole, what must be accepted as the closest approximation we are ever likely. to get to Sun Tz'u's original work. This is- what will hereafter be denominated the “standard text.”
The copy which I have used belongs to a re-issue dated 1877. It is in 6 [56%, forming part of a well-printed set of 23 early philosophical works in 83 156‘”. 1 It opens with a preface by Sun Hsing-yen (largely quoted in this intro— duction), vindicating the traditional View of Sun Tz'u’s life and performances, and summing up in remarkably concise fashion the evidence in its favour. This is followed by Ts‘ao Kung’s preface to his edition, and the biography of Sun Tzu from the Sflzfi Cflz', both translated above. Then come, firstly, Chéng Yu-hsien’s [512250,2 with author’s preface, and next, a short miscellany of historical and bibliographical information entitled % ¥ 52m T22? Hvé-Z Lu, compiled by $ mfg] Pi I—hs'un. As regards the body of the work, each separate sentence is followed by a note on the text, if required, and then by the various commentaries appertaining to it, arranged in chronological order. These we shall now proceed to discuss briefly, one by one.
The Commentators.
'Sun Tzu can boast an exceptionally long and distinguished roll of commentators, which would do honour to any classic. [ER [% Ou-yang Hsiu remarks on this fact, though he wrote before the tale was complete, and rather ingeniously explains it by saying that the artifices of war, being in-