陶行知1891年10月18日出生于安徽省歙县西乡黄潭源村的一个贫寒家庭，自幼好学，由此奠定了坚实的国学基础，继承了徽派朴学的治学精神。

1910年，陶行知辗转进入金陵大学，勤奋学习，热心公益，关心时事，1914年以总分第一毕业。

1914年8月自费赴美留学深造，勤工俭学，刻苦攻读，德、才、学、识日臻完善。

青少年时期的陶行知接受了乡村私塾的传统启蒙、内地县城的西式洗礼、繁华都市的现代化熏陶和世界经济、文化中心的留学深造。

A Master of Chinese and Western Learning

From a Poverty-Stricken Farmhouse to Columbia University

（1891——1917）

Born in a poor family in Huangtanyuan，a small village in West Township of Shexian county，Anhui province on October 18, 1891, Tao had tempered the character of diligence and self-discipline since his childhood, which prepared him with a good foundation of sinology. He not only inherited but also carried forward the learning spirit of Huizhou Puxue, an academic school of Anhui province known for its simplistic style.

In 1910, Tao was admitted to Nanjing University after passing through many hardships. He was diligent in study, enthusiastic about commonweal and responsive to current affairs. He graduated from Nanjing University with the highest score in 1914.

In August 1914, Tao set out for the United States to further his study. He earned his own tuition through hard work and he appreciated the opportunities to study, his virtue, talent, knowledge and capacity being perfected day by day.

In his youth, Tao had been enlightened in the traditional rural private schools, baptized by western learning in a small mission school in the inland county, nurtured in the prosperous and modern metropolis, and embraced by the universities in the economic and cultural center of the world.