Active during the Zhizheng period (1341-1368). At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he was sent to the Hanlin Academy to serve as the director of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces, and he was promoted to Huainan Province to participate in politics. When Zhang Shicheng took control of Wu, Rao Jiedu was not allowed to leave, so Zhang Muming visited him in person and appointed him as the counselor of Huainan Province. In the twenty-seventh year of Zhengzheng (1367), Zhu Yuanzhang went to Pingjiang, Shicheng was defeated, and Rao Jie was also captured and sent to Nanjing to be executed.
Rao Jie was a famous literati and calligrapher in the late Yuan Dynasty, with high popularity and influence. His friend Shi Daoyan commented on him: "Jie Zhi is a person who is suave and bold, and he can be friends with all the handsome people. His writing is like Huai Su, his poetry is like Li Bai, his arrogance is radiant, and his eyes are compelling." His disciple Song Ke commented that he is "like a flower." Rain makes the branches and leaves new." Jie was a man of suave and bold character, and he had contacts with all the noble people of that time. He had both worldly ambitions and a heart for the world. Famous for his poetry and books. The conception of his poems is ingenious, the sentences are rigorously crafted, and have a unique style; the cursive script is elegant, smooth, clear and elegant, and the gods chase the orders (Wang Xianzhi). It is a pity that he was killed in his prime and his ambition was not fulfilled.
Rao Jie was the main calligrapher of the Wu family in the late Yuan Dynasty and made important contributions to the revival of Jin and Tang calligraphy. He was erudite, intelligent in conversation, and suave in his writing. His family collected many calligraphy and inscriptions of famous masters from past dynasties, including dozens of engravings of "Lanting". In his later years, he was awarded the "Dingwu Edition (Lanting)" and regarded it as a treasure. Because of the fighting he sees, he is able to go in and out of elegance and become his own style. Because of his suave and bold personality and his experience in participating in the Peasant Rebellion Army, his calligraphy is bold and confident. Rao Jie was particularly good at cursive calligraphy. He traced his calligraphy from Huai Su and Zhang Xu to the two kings of Jin Dynasty, and also took the Jin Jian from Kanglizi Mountain. The work is free and easy without breaking the rules. Because of his vast knowledge, he can be elegant and unique. Li Rihua's "Liu Yan Zhai Notes" commented that "the introduction is round, vigorous and smooth, and the gods are chasing the great orders". His friend Chen Ji commented on his calligraphy and said, "Jie's cursive calligraphy is particularly graceful and graceful, and it is very pleasing to the eye. Judging from its momentum, it is unlikely to be more than a saint." Jiang Shaoshu also commented on his cursive Liuwen scroll, saying: "When you enter the veranda of the mountain shade hall, you will feel as if pure cotton is wrapped in iron. This volume has a large decree, cursive Liuwen, dripping with drunken ink, and the phoenix is ??soaring. It seems strange anyway." It can be seen from this. Cursive script was already famous at that time.
Rao Jie’s calligraphy has a great influence in Suzhou. Song Ke and Song Guang, the “Second Song Dynasty” calligraphers in the early Ming Dynasty, both came from his disciples. Later Wen Zhengming, the leader of Wumen Calligraphy School, was also deeply influenced by his calligraphy. his influence. He was also the convener of the poetry circle in the late Yuan Dynasty and sponsored most of Gao Qi's Ten Friends of Beiguo and the "Ten Sons of Wuzhong".
His representative work, "Stanzas with Phantom Lives on the Peaks in the Book", uses a clear and vigorous brushwork, sometimes with cursive brushwork, showing the stubbornness in the graceful vigor. The "phantom" structure is deliberately shifted, which is very interesting. His "Nanmu Tie" is casual and unrestrained. It is a short letter, written about a trivial matter. It is full of heroic spirit, the lines are smooth, and it turns with the situation and flows away like a pill. The rhythm of this work is very strong. The shape of the character "ear" in thick ink and dry brush occupies several character positions, while the character "dang" rushes left and right. It is strange and strange, and has a charming charm. The last few words were left with flying smoke, and the "words" were no longer legible. The intervention of Zhang Cao's brushstrokes adds to the change and power of line forms, making it a very rare masterpiece.