Li Ao (born in 771 or 772, died in 841) was a Tang official, philosopher, poet, and calligrapher. His courtesy name was Xizhi, his birth-order designation was Li Qi, and his posthumous name was Wen; he is also known as Li Wengong and under a variant written form of Li Ao. His native place is variously given as Chengji, Kaifeng, Chenliu, and Beizhou, while his ancestral origin is Chengji.
Life
He passed the jinshi examination; in 800 he served as an Observing Judge in the Yicheng Army Command. In 805 he served as an administrative assistant in the Metropolitan Prefecture; in 806 he was a Doctor of the Directorate of State Education assigned to the Eastern Capital and a Compiler in the Historiography Office, and in 808 he served as Secretary to a Regional Military Commissioner in the Lingnan East Circuit. In 809–810 he was prefect of Haifeng, in 810 an aide to the observation commissioner in the Xuanshe Army Command, and from 811 to 814 an Observing Judge in the Zhejiang East Circuit.
In 820 he held the posts of Assistant Director for Evaluating Merit and Historiographical Officer, and served as prefect of Wuling through 821; he was prefect of Shengtang from 821 to 823 and a Director in the Ministry of Rites in 823. In 825 he was prefect of Luzhou, prefect of Lujiang from 825 to 827, and Admonition Grand Master in 827. He was prefect of Zhengzhou from 830 to 831, prefect of Jianling from 831 to 833, and prefect of Changsha from 833 to 834. In the seventh year of the Dahe era (833) he served as observation commissioner of the Hunan Army Command, and from 835 to 836 as prefect of Xiangyang. Other offices included a regional military commissioner, a school-text editor, an Assistant Director of the Bureau of Territorial Administration, prefect of Langzhou, prefect of Shuzhou, prefect of Zhengzhou, an observation commissioner, an edict drafter, a Chamberlain in the Secretariat, a lesser supervisor of the Palace Treasury, Vice Minister of Justice, Vice Minister of Revenue, and military commissioner of the Shannan East Circuit.
His father is named Li Mou and died in 798; his tenth-generation ancestor was Li Chong. Han Yu was his teacher and his wife's uncle; his sons-in-law included Lu Qiu, Lu Chu, and Zheng Tao.
Teachers and Associations
In 835 he composed epitaphs for Yang Yuling, Wu Ruheng, and Dugu Lang. He sent poems and prose to Liu Yanshi, Li Bo, Meng Jiao, Mao Yu, and Shi Weiyan, and received poems and prose from Han Yu, Meng Jiao, Yin Yaofan, and Shu Yuanshe.
Scholarship and Works
He was a Chinese philosopher, poet, and calligrapher. Titles associated with him include *Lainan lu*, *Wumu jing*, *Li Wengong ji*, *Li Ao ji*, and *Lunyu bijie shu wu*; the two-scroll *Lunyu bijie* is identified as a work he authored.
References
- CBDB Li Ao (2) (22469)
- Wikidata Li Ao (Q700284)