Tao An (dates disputed: 1310–1368 in one reckoning and 1315–1371 in another) was a political figure of the late Yuan and early Ming. His courtesy name was Zhujing; he is also found as Tao Zhujing, and his native place was Dangtu in Taiping Prefecture.
Life
In the fourth year of the Zhizheng era under the Yuan emperor Shun (1344), he passed the Jiang-Zhejiang provincial examination and became a juren. After passing the examination, he was appointed head of Mingdao Academy and withdrew home when disorder broke out; the academy is also called Mingdao Anjie Academy in one account.
When Zhu Yuanzhang captured Taiping, Tao came out to welcome him, joined his staff, and was appointed to the office of 左司員外郎. He later served as 左司郎中 and became prefect of Huangzhou (also described as governor of Huangzhou); after an incident, he was demoted to magistrate of Tongcheng and transferred to prefect of Raozhou.
In Wu's first year (1367), he entered the Hanlin Academy as a Hanlin Academician; in the first year of Hongwu (1368), he was appointed to draft edicts and compile the national history, and Zhu Yuanzhang presented him with the couplet “國朝謀略無雙士，翰苑文章第一家。”
He was soon promoted to 參知政事 in the Jiangxi provincial administration (also given as 江西行中書省參知政事), died in office, and was described as having achieved notable results in Jiangxi.
After his death, Zhu Yuanzhang wrote a sacrificial text for him; 姑孰郡公 is described both as a grant and as a posthumous enfeoffment, and his posthumous name was 文憲. His wife was Yu Dechang, and his sons were Tao Yu and Tao Sheng.
Scholarship and writings
Tao An was well versed in history and particularly accomplished in the Yijing; his poetry was described as 清勁.
His collected writings are known as 《陶學士集》; they are also listed as 《學士集》 and 《文集》, each described as twenty juan. Works include 《辭達》, 《知新》, 《江行》, 《黃岡》, and 《鶴渚》, while 《知新稿》 and 《江行雜詠》 are also attested.
《陶學士集》 includes epitaphs, farewell poems and prefaces, elegies, biographies, mourning poems, and poems and prose presented to others. Examples include 《故完顏判官墓誌銘》, 《送牟景陽》, 《蔣茂仁哀辭》, 《費君行狀》, and 《益都郵亭壁詩》; it also preserves poems exchanged with Zhang Yuan.
Thought and reception
At his first audience with Zhu Yuanzhang, Tao outlined a statecraft strategy of avoiding killing and plunder, taking Jinling first, and pursuing a royal enterprise. A critical assessment likened his bearing to that of 諸葛君 and 王景略 and again described his poetry as 清勁.
References
- CBDB Tao An (28532)
- 搜韵 陶安 (50055)
- 法鼓佛教人名规范数据库 陶安 (A008670)
- Wikidata Tao An (Q15910904)