# Tsʽao Kung — The Art of War character guide

> Tsʽao Kung in The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tsʽao, Kung

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

## Snapshot

A warlord who disputes Han Hsin for the highest place in Chinese military annals, Ts'ao Kung wrote the first commentary on Sun Tzǔ.

## Who they are

Ts'ao Kung was the first to write a commentary on The Art of War, and his opinion on Sun Tzǔ carries the weight of a man who actually commanded armies. He disputes with Han Hsin the highest place in Chinese military annals, and later commentators measure themselves against him, quoting him first even when they disagree. His glosses are the spine of the commentarial tradition, which is why every subsequent reader of Sun Tzǔ is also, in some sense, reading Ts'ao Kung.

## Relationships

### [Tu Mu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/characters/tu_mu)

_professional_

Tsʽao Kung and Tu Mu were both prominent commentators on The Art of War, often engaging in scholarly dialogue through their annotations.

### [Wang Hsi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/characters/wang_hsi)

_professional_

Tsʽao Kung and Wang Hsi were both classical commentators on Sun Tzǔ, with Wang Hsi often building upon or critiquing Tsʽao's interpretations.

### [Sun Tzǔ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/characters/sun_tzu)

_professional_

Tsʽao Kung was a major early commentator on Sun Tzǔ, whose annotations became foundational to later study of the text.

### [Wang Hsi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/characters/wang_hsi)

_professional_

Tsʽao Kung and Wang Hsi were both classical commentators on Sun Tzǔ, with Wang Hsi often building upon or critiquing Tsʽao's interpretations.

### [Tu Mu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/characters/tu_mu)

_professional_

Tsʽao Kung and Tu Mu were both prominent commentators on The Art of War, often engaging in scholarly dialogue through their annotations.

### [Wang Hsi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/characters/wang_hsi)

_professional_

Tsʽao Kung and Wang Hsi were both classical commentators on Sun Tzǔ, with Wang Hsi often building upon or critiquing Tsʽao's interpretations.

## In the story

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

Emperor Wei who wrote a commentary on Sun Tzǔ and is said to have pruned the original work to 13 chapters.

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

First commentator on Sun Tzǔ; his edition is referenced as a key early source.

### [Appreciations of Sun Tzǔ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/chapters/appreciations-of-sun-tz)

Disputes with Han Hsin the highest place in Chinese military annals; his opinion of Sun Tzǔ is recorded.

### [The Art of War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/chapters/the-art-of-war)

Later commentator who wrote the first known commentary on Sun Tzǔ's work.

### [VII: Manoeuvring](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/chapters/vii-manoeuvring)

Commentator referenced in the chapter's notes, offering historical examples and interpretations.

### [XI: The Nine Situations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_art_of_war_se/chapters/xi-the-nine-situations)

Commentator whose interpretations are cited in the chapter's annotations.

## Links

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