# Ssǔ-ma Chʽien — The Art of War character guide

> Ssǔ-ma Chʽien in The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0004-the-commentators

## Who they are

The Han dynasty historian, source of many anecdotes.

## In the story

### [Sun Wu and His Book](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/chapters/sun-wu-and-his-book)

Historian who provided the biography of Sun Tzǔ and his descendant Sun Pin.

### [The Text of Sun Tzǔ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/chapters/the-text-of-sun-tz)

Early historian who attested to the '13 chapters' being essentially the same as those extant.

### [Apologies for War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/chapters/apologies-for-war)

Quoted as defending the use of military weapons to punish violence and cruelty, and criticizing scholars who oppose militarism.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/characters/ssu_ma_chien
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/characters