Tao Yuanming

Tao Yuanming
Portrait of Tao Yuanming by Chen Hongshou
Portrait of Tao Yuanming by Chen Hongshou
Bornc. 365
Chaisang (modern Jiujiang)
Died427
OccupationPoet, politician
Notable worksAccount of the Peach Blossom Spring
Tao Yuanming
"Tao Yuanming" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinTáo Yuānmíng
Gwoyeu RomatzyhTaur Iuanming
Wade–GilesT'ao2 Yüan1-ming2
IPA[tʰǎʊ ɥɛ́n.mǐŋ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationTòuh Yūn-mìhng
JyutpingTou4 Jyun1-ming4
IPA[tʰɔw˩ jyn˥.mɪŋ˩]
Southern Min
Tâi-lôTô Ian-bîng
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese
Literal meaning(original name)
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinTáo Qián
Gwoyeu RomatzyhTaur Chyan
Wade–GilesT'ao2 Ch'ien2
IPA[tʰǎʊ tɕʰjɛ̌n]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationTòuh Chìhm
JyutpingTou4 Cim4
Southern Min
Tâi-lôTô Tsiâm

Tao Yuanming (simplified Chinese: 陶渊明; traditional Chinese: 陶淵明; pinyin: Táo Yuānmíng; 365–427), also known as Tao Qian (pinyin: Táo Qián; also T'ao Ch'ien in Wade–Giles), was a Chinese poet and politician who was one of the best-known poets during the Six Dynasties period. He was born during the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420) and died during the Liu Song (420–479) dynasty (Jin-Song transition). Tao Yuanming spent much of his life in reclusion, living in the countryside, farming, reading, drinking wine, receiving the occasional guest, and writing poems in which he often reflected on the pleasures and difficulties of life, as well as his decision to withdraw from civil service. Tao's simple and direct style was somewhat at odds with the norms for literary writing in his time.[1] In the Tang dynasty (618–907), he was well known as a recluse. During the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), influential literati figures such as Su Shi (1037–1101) declared him a paragon of authenticity and spontaneity in poetry, predicting that Tao Yuanming would achieve lasting literary fame.[2] However, Tao Yuanming's inclusion in the 6th century literary anthology Wen Xuan argues for at least a beginning of fame in his own era, at least in his own birth area. Tao Yuanming would later be regarded as the foremost representative of what we now know as Fields and Gardens poetry. Tao Yuanming found inspiration in the beauty and serenity of the natural world close at hand. Tao Yuanming is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu (無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang.

  1. ^ Tian, Xiaofei (2013). "From the Eastern Jin through the early Tang (317–649)" in The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature, Volume 1. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. pp. 221–2. ISBN 978-1107643246.
  2. ^ Tian, Xiaofei. "From the Eastern Jin through the early Tang (317–649)". pp. 221–2.