IT’S BEEN 2,500 YEARS since Sun Tzu kicked the bucket, and we’re still trotting out copies and new editions of his book every year. Going a little old school here, one of the first versions of “The Art of War” I ever ran into was the one with a forward by James “Shogun” Clavell, because everyone knows an authoritative edition of a Chinese classic isn’t complete without a hack Brit novelist chiming in.

Now, prolific self-help author Chin-Ning Chu is coming out with a new book, “The Art of War for Women: Sun Tzu’s Ancient Strategies and Wisdom for Winning at Work” (Currency/Doubleday). Due out on April 7, it builds on Chu’s marketing niche, Eastern Wisdom Meets Fortune 500. Her previous books include “Chinese Mind Game: The Best Kept Trade Secret Of The East.” Enough said.

I hope Chin-Ning Chu wasn’t working very hard on this book because the results are pretty insipid. Little fortune-cookie style quotes interspersed with “real life” situations typical of every how-to guide for business leaders. You even get cute self-assessment worksheets and so on, with just a hint of a chick-lit voice:

“Until you point to men the conduct you find offensive, they will keep doing it. If you tell them, there is no guarantee that things will change. But if you don’t, I can guarantee you that they won’t.” (p. 119)

“Just because women are sensitive and empathetic does not mean that we don’t enjoy the thrill of competition.” (p. 98)

Thank you, O Mistress of the Obvious.

You’ll also find subsections like “The Myth of the Lone Fireman,” “It’s All About Combat Boots and Glass Slippers” and “Eight Ways to ‘Repackage’ Womankind.” I imagine poor Betty Friedan spinning counter-clockwise in her grave over that last bit.

They don’t say it, but you can see from a mile away that Chin-Ning Chu plans to roll out “Art of War for Women” seminars. Which isn’t really something Sun Tzu would advocate because he prefers a more subtle approach of feints and misdirection. But hey.

In its defense, Chaka Khan really liked the book, according to the blurbs on Amazon. Guess they couldn’t get Condoleezza Rice, who’s probably knee-deep in war manuals right about now. •