Sun Bin

Sun Bin was a Chinese military strategist who lived in the late fourth century BC, during the Warring States period. He is traditionally regarded as a descendant of Sun Tzu, although that link is presented as probable rather than proven. He is remembered today for his military treatise and for a career shaped by the rivalry between the states of Wei and Qi.

As a young man he studied strategy under the hermit Guiguzi, where he met Pang Juan, a fellow student who later became a general in Wei. When Pang rose in rank, he brought Sun to Wei, but Sun was soon falsely accused of treason. His punishment left him branded and crippled in the knees, so he could never walk normally again. According to the sources, Pang intended to make him write a book and then have him killed. Sun feigned madness and escaped with help from Qi diplomats.

In the Qi court he served the general Tian Ji. A story about a horse race, often retold, brought him to the king's attention, and the king made him a military adviser. Sun turned down a direct command, since his disability prevented him from riding, and preferred to advise. From that position he shaped the strategies behind the battles of Guiling in 354 BC and Maling, where Wei was defeated and Pang Juan died.

His legacy comes through two channels. His treatise was lost for centuries, and fragments recovered from tomb slips in 1972 show a closer treatment of siege warfare than the work attributed to Sun Tzu, reflecting the military changes of his age. His figure also endured in popular Chinese tradition, where he appears as a protective door god beside his old rival.