Du Fu (
Wade–Giles:
Tu Fu; ; 712 – 770) was a prominent
Chinese poet of the
Tang dynasty. Along with
Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese
poets. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as a successful
civil servant, but he proved unable to make the necessary accommodations. His life, like the whole country, was devastated by the
An Lushan Rebellion of 755, and his last 15 years were a time of almost constant unrest.