Tao Hongjing
Daoist master Tao Hongjing | |||||||||
| Born | 30 April 456 | ||||||||
| Died | 19 April 536 (aged 79) Jiankang, Liang dynasty | ||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Alchemist, astronomer, calligrapher, military general, musician, physician, pharmacologist, writer | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 陶弘景 | ||||||||
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| Tongming (courtesy name) | |||||||||
| Chinese | 通明 | ||||||||
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| Huayang Yinju (pseudonym) | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 華陽隱居 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 华阳隐居 | ||||||||
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Tao Hongjing (456–536), courtesy name Tongming, was a Chinese alchemist, astronomer, calligrapher, military general, musician, physician, and pharmacologist during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. A polymathic individual of many talents, he was best known as a founder of the Shangqing "Highest Clarity" School of Taoism and the compiler-editor of the basic Shangqing scriptures.