Tuōkètuō 托克托
Mongol name Toqto’a (also Toghto / Toktoghan); the spelling 托克托 is the Qing-era standardised re-transliteration adopted by the Sìkù quánshū compilers; older texts give 脫脫 directly. Mongol Christian name (according to one tradition) Mark; zì given in the Yuán shǐ as Dàyòng 大用. Of the Mongol Mòlǐdá 蔑里乞 clan. Lifedates 1314–1356.
The most powerful chief minister of the late Yuán dynasty. Came to power in 1340 by overthrowing his uncle Bāyán 伯顏 (Bayan) — the previous regent — and restoring an inclusive policy toward Hàn officials and scholars. Held Yòu chéngxiàng 右丞相 (chief minister) twice (1340–1344 and 1349–1354). Led the great Hézhōng 黃河 reconstruction project of 1351 and the suppression of the Red Turban rebellions. Ultimately exiled and forced to suicide in 1356 — the political collapse that opened the way to the Yuán’s destruction.
His scholarly contribution rests on his role as supervising editor (jiānxiū) of the great Yuán-court triple-history project: the Sòng shǐ (KR2a0032, 496 juǎn), Liáo shǐ (KR2a0033, 116 juǎn), and Jīn shǐ (KR2a0035, 135 juǎn) — all compiled in Zhìzhèng 3–5 (1343–1345). Toqto’a established the working compiler teams, settled the dispute over which dynasty should be treated as the legitimate succession (he ruled that all three dynasties — Sòng, Liáo, Jīn — should each be a zhèngshǐ with its own běnjì and yuánniànhào, no preferential ranking), and presented the completed works to Yuán Shùndì. By the conventions of the era, the works are titled in his name as senior supervising editor.
His biographies are in Yuán shǐ 138 (KR2a0036) and Xīn Yuán shǐ (Ke Shaomin’s Republican-era recompilation) 218.