Li Chuo was a Tang-dynasty author of notebook-style writings (biji). His life, official career, and dates of birth and death are unknown; available public information is limited, and his exact identity and courtesy name remain difficult to confirm. The one work attributed to him that survives is Shangshu Gushi, a miscellaneous notebook that records court and popular observations, institutional lore, and literary anecdotes. It touches on the words and deeds of Tang figures, the transmission of books, calligraphy, and paintings, and the names and systems of things, usually set down in brief jottings rather than systematic arrangement. The style is plain and restrained, favoring straightforward record over elaborate embellishment, and later scholars have drawn on it for the study of Tang customs and textual lore. It is classified here under Eastern philosophy because the book blends discussion with observation and often touches on conduct and understanding. Because the original is loosely organized, Li Chuo's thought as a whole is hard to outline; readers should regard him as one of the authors of Tang notebook literature and use Shangshu Gushi to glimpse the intellectual interests and recording habits of Tang literati.
