Tang Zhen
Chinese philosopher

Tang Zhen (Chinese: 唐甄; pinyin: Tang Zhen; Wade–Giles: T'ang Chen, 1630–1704), born Tang Dadao (唐大陶), courtesy name Zhuwan (铸万), was a Chinese philosopher and educator born in Dazhou during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. His given name was Dahao, but later he changed his given name to Zhen and his courtesy name to Puyuan (圃園).
In 1657, he successfully achieved the rank of juren (举人) or quasi-master's degree provincial level. He then became the mayor of a town in Shanxi province. Later in life, he became an author, philosophizing about politics and life.
He is known for his outspokenness. For example, he criticized the autocratic system by writing that "all emperors are thieves since the Qin dynasty" (自秦以來,凡為帝王者皆賊也) in his work.
References
Zhao, Zongzheng, "Tang Zhen". Encyclopedia of China (Philosophy Edition), 1st ed.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Tang Zhen” as chinese philosopher. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as chinese philosopher. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 11, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q2372474. VIAF identifies the subject as 41893820. The Library of Congress control number is n85026178. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1630, 1704 and 1657.
Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Tang Zhen”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Tang Zhen primary sources, Tang Zhen archive and Tang research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Tang Zhen”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Tang Zhen” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.