# Preface by Lionel Giles explained — The Art of War

> Chapter companion for The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

## What happens

Lionel Giles introduces his translation of Sun Tzǔ's The Art of War, criticizing previous translations by Père Amiot and Capt. E. F. Calthrop for inaccuracies and omissions. He explains his methodology, including paragraph division, selective commentary, and textual references, aiming to provide a more faithful and scholarly edition.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Stratagem

Giles criticizes Amiot's translation for fabricating content, highlighting the importance of accurate transmission of Sun Tzǔ's strategic principles.

### Self-Knowledge and Preparation

Giles demonstrates self-awareness of his own limitations and prepares his translation with careful methodology, including cross-references and textual citations.

## Character check-ins

### Sun Tzǔ

Author of The Art of War, whose work is the subject of Giles's translation and critique of prior versions.

### Père Amiot

Jesuit missionary whose 18th-century French translation of Sun Tzǔ is described by Giles as 'little better than an imposture.'

### Capt. E. F. Calthrop

Author of the first English translation of Sun Tzǔ (1905), criticized by Giles for poor Chinese knowledge and numerous errors.

### Sun Hsing-yen

Chinese scholar whose edition of Sun Tzǔ's text is used by Giles as the basis for paragraph divisions.

## Key lines

> But his so-called translation of the Sun Tzǔ , if placed side by side with the original, is seen at once to be little better than an imposture.

Amiot's translation is so inaccurate that comparing it to the original reveals it as essentially fraudulent.

_Giles's harsh assessment of Amiot's work, emphasizing the need for fidelity in translation._

> It is not merely a question of downright blunders, from which none can hope to be wholly exempt. Omissions were frequent; hard passages were wilfully distorted or slurred over.

Calthrop's translation contains not only unavoidable errors but also deliberate omissions and distortions of difficult sections.

_Giles criticizes Calthrop for both incompetence and dishonesty in translation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_art_of_war_se/chapters/preface-by-lionel-giles
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_art_of_war_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_art_of_war_se/chapters