Sun Bin

Sun Bin (; 382 – 316 BC) was a Chinese general, military strategist, and writer who lived during the Warring States period of Chinese history. A supposed descendant of Sun Tzu, Sun was tutored in military strategy by the hermit Guiguzi. He was accused of treason by Pang Juan while serving Wei and punished by being branded and crippled. Sun escaped and became a strategist and commander for Qi, defeating Wei at the Battle of Guiling and the Battle of Maling; Pang was killed at Maling. Sun's Art of War with the Yinqueshan Han Slips were discovered in 1972 after going missing for at least 1400 years.

Life Early life and service in Wei Sun Bin was allegedly a descendant of Sun Tzu. Sun Bin excelled while studying military strategy under the hermit Guiguzi; he could recite The Art of War and identified by Guiguzi as a role model for other students. Pang Juan, a fellow student, became Sun's blood brother. Pang left to be a Wei general, and built a reputation through a few victories. Sun continued his studies until accepting a Wei recruitment offer and joining Pang. Pang considered Sun to be more talented and knowledgeable, and became jealous.

King Hui of Wei sentenced Sun to death after Sun was framed for treason by Pang. Pang convinced King Hui to commute the sentence; Sun was branded and crippled by having his kneecaps removed. Pang attempted to entice Sun to compile a book on military strategy with good treatment, with the intent of killing Sun afterwards. Eventually, Sun discovered Pang's intentions and feigned insanity. As a test, Pang locked Sun in a sty where the latter ate animal faeces, calling them delicious. When Pang lowered his guard, Sun escaped with the help of Qi diplomats. The book was believed to be lost after the Han dynasty. Some historians doubted its existence as evidence was limited to references in post-contemporary texts. The Yinqueshan Han Slips scroll fragments, recovered in 1972 from a tomb in Linyi, Shandong, contained text from the Sun Bin's Art of War. 16 chapters have been identified; historical texts attributed 89 chapters to the work.

Sun Bin's Art of War includes sections related to the Battles of Guiling and Maling. A major difference between Sun Tzu's earlier The Art of War and Sun Bin's Art of War is in siege warfare. The former advises against it, and the latter - reflecting developments in the later stages of the Warring States period - contains advice for attacking besieged cities.

Legacy Sun sometimes appears as a Menshen (door god) in Chinese and Taoist temples, usually paired with Pang.

His rivalry with Pang is portrayed in the 2011 film The Warring States.

Sun is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei.