Ancient China · Merchant

Tao Zhu 陶朱

Attested BC 473

Passages: 1
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Tao Zhu was a Merchant.

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 473 陶朱、猗頓之富
Strongly inferred · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 139

Assessments and attributes

Assessment paragon of wealth · Mode quotation Speaker Xu Le (徐樂)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 139

Source notes

Value historical
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 139

References in the histories

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 112Biographies of the Marquis of Pingjin and Zhufu · 1 passage

陳涉無千乘之尊，尺土之地，身非王公大人名族之后，無鄉曲之譽，非有孔、墨、曾子之賢，陶朱、猗頓之富也，然起窮巷，奮棘矜，偏袒大呼而天下從風，此其故何也？ Chen She commanded neither the authority of a lord of a thousand chariots nor a single foot of territory. He was no descendant of kings or dukes or men of noble lineage. He had no reputation in his home village, nor the wisdom of Confucius, Mozi, or Master Zeng, nor the wealth of Tao Zhu or Yi Dun. Yet he rose from a wretched alleyway, seized a thorny staff, bared his shoulder, let out a great shout, and the entire empire followed him like wind bending the grass. What was the reason?