Tao Zongyi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tao Zongyi (c. ad 1320 – c. 1410), also known by his courtesy name Tao Jiucheng and his style name Tao Nancun, was a Chinese scholar during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties.
| Tao Zongyi | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 陶宗儀 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 陶宗仪 | ||||||||
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| Courtesy Name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 陶九成 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Nine-Change Tao | ||||||||
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| Style Name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 陶南村 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Southern-Village Tao | ||||||||
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Life
Tao Zongyi was born under the Mongolian-ruled Yuan dynasty and grew up in the village of Qingyang (清陽, 清阳, Qīngyáng)[1] in Huangyan County outside Taizhou in Jiangzhe province (now Eastern China's Zhejiang province).[2] However, the exact date of his birth is now obscure,[3] being variously placed in 1316,[2][4] 1321,[5] 1322,[1] and 1329.[6]
He was a friend and correspondent of many of his era's most famous scholars and writers and may have held some official offices under the Yuan.[3] As that dynasty collapsed,[1] he repeatedly declined further appointments, instead focusing on scholarship and literature.[2] He continued to decline appointments under the early Ming,[6] relocating to Yunjian in Nanzhili (now Songjiang in Shanghai Municipality).[citation needed]
The year of his death is also obscure,[3] being variously placed in 1403,[1][4] 1407,[5] or 1410.[6]
Works
Tao's known works include the 1361[4] Environs of Fiction[2] or Persuasion of the Suburbs (t 《說郛》, s 《说郛》, Shuōfú), a compilation of 1292 historical and semihistorical stories;[6] his 1366[4] historical "novel" Nancun Chuogeng Lu ("Records from a Southern Village after Retiring from the Plow") covering a wide range of topics in the daily life under the late Yuan;[1] his 1376[7] Important Matters in the History of Calligraphy (t 《書史會要》, s 《书史会要》, Shūshǐ Huìyào), covering the historical development of Chinese characters and other Asian writing systems alongside biographies of prominent calligraphers;[8] the biographical compilation A Private History of Common Heroes (《草莽私乘》, Cǎomǎng Sīchéng); and a book of poems.[2] His works were included in the Ming and Qing compilations the Siku Quanshu, the Sibu Congkan (t 《四部叢刊》, s 《四部丛刊》, Sìbù Cóngkān),[1] and the Baichuan Xuehai (t 《百川學海》, s 《百川学海》, Bǎichuān Xuéhǎi).[8]
Legacy
Tao's life was the subject of a 1374 biography by his friend Sun Zuo (t 孫作, s 孙作, Sūn Zuò)[7] and was among the dynastic biographies included in the official 1739 History of the Ming and in Ke Shaomin's 1920 New History of the Yuan.[3]