Sun (surname) in the context of "Amoy dialect"

Wu (Chinese: 吳; pinyin: Wú; Middle Chinese *ŋuo < Eastern Han Chinese: *ŋuɑ), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a dynastic state of China and one of the three major states that competed for supremacy over China during the Three Kingdoms period. It previously existed from 220 to 222 as a vassal kingdom nominally under its rival state Cao Wei but declared complete independence in November 222. It was elevated to an empire in May 229 after its founding ruler Sun Quan (Emperor Da) declared himself emperor.

The name Wu was derived from the place it was based in—the Jiangnan (Yangtze River Delta) region, which was also historically known as Wu. It was called Dong Wu ("Eastern Wu") or Sun Wu by historians to distinguish it from other Chinese historical states with similar names in that region, such as the Wu state of the Spring and Autumn period and the Wuyue kingdom of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was called Eastern Wu because it occupied most of eastern China in the Three Kingdoms period, and Sun Wu because the family name of its rulers was Sun.

Sun Tzu (/suːn ˈdzuː, suːn ˈsuː/;traditional Chinese: 孫子; simplified Chinese: 孙子; pinyin: Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, a Classical Chinese text on military strategy from the Warring States period, though the earliest parts of the work probably date to at least a century after him.

Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure; however, his historical existence is uncertain. The Han dynasty historian Sima Qian and other traditional Chinese historians placed him as a minister to King Helü of Wu and dated his lifetime to 544–496 BC. The name Sun Tzu—by which he is more popularly known—is an honorific which means "Master Sun". His birth name was said to be Sun Wu (traditional Chinese: 孫武; simplified Chinese: 孙武) and he is posthumously known by his courtesy name Changqing (Chinese: 長卿). Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since both Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as "Sun Tzu" in classical Chinese texts, some historians thought them identical, prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.