1. Personality and Fate
Tao Yuanming (365-427) ①, whose character is bright, once he said that he was famous, Yuanming was his word, and he named himself Mr. Wuliu, and secretly married "Jingjie". About the time of Jin and Song Dynasties, Xunyang was a firewood mulberry man. About his family background, it is said that it can be generally recognized that after Tao Kan, a fu in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and even his grandfather and father, there were also some officials who worked as satrap, temporarily putting aside the arguments of some busybodies. Basically, we can imagine that the distant ancestors of Tao had a glorious past, but by the time of Tao Yuanming, bad luck had already arrived. The decline of his family's fortune led to his early life, which was hard and poor. For example, Yan Yanzhi said that he was "poor and poor" in "Tao Zheng Shi Ji", and said that he was "poor in his mother's hometown, holding him to his relatives". According to Tao Shu's Textual Research on Mr. Jingjie's Chronology, this should be related to his loss of his father at the age of eight. Since childhood, he has suffered the misfortune of family fortune and suffered from the bleak family circumstances. Generally speaking, Tao Yuanming was extremely dissatisfied throughout his adolescence. This point can be confirmed by his self-report in the poem "Work at a Meeting" written in his later years: "Every family is poor in a weak year".
Worst of all, this bad luck seems to have no intention of stopping, so it has been going on for a lifetime (the so-called "hunger until you are old"). But at the same time, he is an optimistic person, and poverty, hunger and cold seem to temper his will better. In the face of "the hungry are full at the beginning" and "hentai loves quiet nights", I have been able to bear the hardships of hunger and cold for many years, and I am calm and solid in poverty, showing my open-minded side. So that we can later see him poking fun at himself in the biography of Mr. Wuliu: "Sex is addicted to alcohol, and the family is poor, so we can't get it often," "The ring is blocked and bleak, and the wind is not covered; The short brown is knotted, and the ladle is empty again and again. " "Forget the gains and losses, and end up with it." At the end of the article, I borrowed the words of Qian Lou's wife to encourage me, and also expressed my interest by the way.
some people say that "character determines fate". In fact, this sentence is not entirely true. How many people have the same temperament in the world? Not everyone has similar experiences, but there is no doubt that personality has a deep influence on people's daily behaviors. It is more or less related to people's lives. Therefore, we might as well make a slight amendment to it and change it to "character determines fate." Tao Yuanming's life is influenced by his personality. And the formation of his character is closely related to his philosophy of life.
Tao Yuanming was unconsciously influenced by the values of "Confucianism and Taoism complement each other" throughout his life. In the later period of life, the fate of life has evolved into an arrangement of letting fate take its course, paying attention to being happy with it. This kind of fatalism thought, he had made a full exposition in "Self-sacrifice". He said: "I am a man who is self-sufficient, and I am poor when I am lucky ... I am diligent and spare, and my heart is often idle. Lotte committee points, and even a hundred years ... Know know life, domain can be ignored. I can live in the present without hatred. Life is a hundred years old, and I am eager for fat. From the old age to the end, I am in love again! " I told myself that from the beginning of being a man, I encountered the fate of poverty, but my mood was leisurely and carefree, and I was happy to do what I was told. He thinks that he is well-known for his luck, and he has no regrets and attachment, no matter whether he is alive or dead, unlike some people who are very concerned about making meritorious deeds before his death and leaving a reputation after his death. Correspondingly, when he resigned from Peng Zeling, he finally decided to retire to the countryside, which was a famous "Return to Xi Ci". The last two sentences in it were: "Chatting and multiplying to return to the end, rejoicing in the destiny." This is the so-called "Happy know life". In Tao Yuanming, it is actually a process from resignation to obedience. ②
All the disappointments in life can neither find the real reason nor get a satisfactory explanation. In desperation, we have to attribute everything to the word "fate". Tao Yuanming's fatalism came from it. But gradually, I want to be fully understood. From resignation to Lotte know life, I have removed my ideological distress and burden, and I am no longer obsessed with fame and fortune-I understand that even if I retire, it is no big deal! There is no need to force it too much. In this way, I finally turned myself around from the concept, and I finally prepared myself for seclusion. It is possible to remove the shackles of the name and the lock as much as possible. Only by realizing that "build house is in a human condition, and there are no chariots and horses. Only by asking you what you can do, your heart is far from self-centered, can you "pick chrysanthemums under the east fence and see Nanshan leisurely" with a relaxed attitude. And in the true sense, to the greatest extent, become indifferent and quiet, willing to leave the hustle and bustle of the world, abandon the bustling competition, get rid of the officialdom, and spend the rest of my life in the mountains and rivers and in the countryside.
Second, patriotic enthusiasm under the door-to-door system
Tao Yuanming's life can be roughly divided into two stages, namely, leaving the official state and retiring to the countryside. And the fact that he resigned Peng Zeling can be used as a dividing line. The year when Peng Zeling resigned was the first year of Yixi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (45), and Tao Yuanming was 41 years old. After abandoning the official this time, I have never been an official again. In other words, before this time, Tao Yuanming was always in an embarrassing situation of being an official and hiding. That is to say, since the 18th year of Taiyuan (393), when he was appointed as Jiangzhou at the age of 29, he has been ups and downs in the official sea for twelve years. Lu Xun thought: "Tao Qian was at the end of Jin Dynasty, which was different from Kong Rong at the end of Han Dynasty and Ji Kang at the end of Wei Dynasty, and it was also the time of the Yi Dynasty. But he showed no impassioned expression, so he won the name of' pastoral poet'. However, there is another article in Tao Ji, which is about politics at that time. From this point of view, it can be seen that he has not forgotten and been indifferent to the world, but his attitude is much more natural than Ji Kang's Ruan Ji, so he does not attract attention. " (3)
The poem "Narrating Wine" mentioned in his comments should refer to the one with the inscription "Made by Yi Di, polished by Du Kang". The whole poem is quite long, and there is no wine-related content in the poem except for two captions. Throughout, I only use metaphor to record the process of Song Wudi's usurpation of power by Emperor Wu of the Southern Dynasties. Moreover, the sentences in the poem are described in a rather obscure and tortuous way, so that Han Ju and Tao Shu have to "repeatedly observe it" and "repeatedly examine it in detail" and later know that it is definitely a mourning poem for Lingling. Zhao Quanshan also said: "This is the second year of Jin Gongdi Yuanxi. On June 11th, Wang Yu of Song Dynasty forced the Emperor to meditate, and then abolished the Emperor as the King of Lingling. In September next year, he sneaked into rebellion, so he quoted Han Xian in Jingjie poems. " In Yan Yanzhi's Tao Zheng Shi Zhi, it is even called "Tao must cherish the country" in Jingjie (Liu Liang's note: those who cherish the country will not forget the country). Therefore, Wuwei Zi (Song Cai Tae-taek) said, "Poets look at Yuan Ming, while Youkongmen look at Bo Yi." ("Xiqing Poetry") 4 This Boyi is the Boyi who "does not eat Zhou Su". Confucius' evaluation of him in those years was: "Don't lower his ambition, don't humiliate him, Boyi, Shu Qi and?" ("The Analects of Confucius, the eighteenth Wei Zi") This is a rather low evaluation of this ancient monk by Confucius. This analogy made by Wei Zi naturally contains the recognition of the patriotic enthusiasm of the predecessors for Dow.
This poem was written after the murder of Emperor Jin Gong. At that time, Tao Yuanming was 57 years old. It has been 16 years since he abandoned his official position for the last time-16 years after his "total seclusion". In fact, during this period, he also wrote many works that can show that he is "not forgotten and indifferent to the world" (Lu Xun's words). These works, including the well-known Fu for Feeling Scholars, Ode to Jing Ke, Nine Poems Imitating the Ancient Times, and the most widely acclaimed Peach Blossom Garden, also belong to this category.
Even after retiring at the age of forty-one, I am still so "unwilling to be lonely", and sometimes I write poems and articles to relieve my depression. Not to mention the youthful age of blood and ambition. Although it was mentioned earlier that when Tao Yuanming's family developed, it was already in decline, but his grandfather and father were both middle-level local officials. After all, they were a gentry family. When they were young, they should have had the opportunity to receive the formal education of Confucianism. For example, he himself said in the poem "Drinking": "Young people are scarce and swim well in the Six Classics"; "The teacher has a legacy, and he is not worried about poverty." And it can be seen that at that time, he was also quite persistent about the ideas of Confucianism and Confucius. Although the phoenix bird doesn't arrive, the ceremony and music will be new for the time being. What Confucianism pays attention to and advocates is the idea of actively using the world. These thoughts must have influenced Tao Yuanming. In "Twelve Miscellaneous Poems" written in his later years, he even bluntly said: "When I was young, I was happy without music. I am eager to escape from the four seas, and I am eager to go to Philip Burkart. ""The sun and the moon throw people away, and I am interested in not getting hired. I am sad when I think about this, but I can't be quiet at last. ""If I don't come back in my prime, it's hard to get up in the morning. Encourage in time, and time waits for no one. " All these show that he had lofty ideals and great ambition to make contributions to the WTO in his early years. However, it happened that "those who are willing to get hired" can only sigh "Time and tide wait for no man".
as we know, in the feudal society of China, patriarchal clan system based on family standard has always prevailed. The family status of ancestors in past dynasties has a considerable influence on the social status of future generations. The whole Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was an era that attached great importance to the concept of family status. The reason why Tao Yuanming didn't attach great importance to the contemporary world probably has a deep relationship with this historical environment at that time.
Take Tao Kan, his ancestor, as an example. According to a short record at the beginning of The Book of Jin, Biography of Tao Kan, Tao Kan was a native of Poyang. Wu Ping, a migrant from Lujiang, is Xunyang. Father Dan, General Wu Yangwu. I am lonely and poor, and I am a county official. " This passage gives a cursory account of his background: his father's name is Tao Dan, and he was a military attache in Wudi, but because he died early, he was "lonely and poor." When he grows up, he can only be a small county official at first. From this, we can see that Tao Kan's family background should not be a noble family, nor does it necessarily have a high social status. However, Tao Kan is a man with strong enterprise, and he is not willing to be inferior to others. He is also very courageous and courageous, which coincides with the turmoil in the world. His talent is even more useful. He started with the military and eventually achieved "a very important person." Unfortunately, because the upper class of the Jin Dynasty attached great importance to the restriction of the aristocratic family, he could not completely get rid of the shadow of being born in an impoverished family. For example, at that time, there was a Fubo general, Sun Xiu, who was generally discriminated against by people in the Central Plains because he was "supported by ordinary people, but the people in the Central Plains did not care to be his subordinates, so they had no choice but to find Tao Kan," calling him as a Scheeren "(Biography of the Book of Jin and Tao Kan). What is especially cruel is that Lang Wenya, the official department, openly called him a "villain" (Shi Shuo Xin Yu Xian Yuan XIX), and Wen Qiao, the minister, once called him a "creek dog" behind his back (Shi Shuo Xin Yu Rong Zhi XIV). Such a demoralizing and suffocating social system and social atmosphere is of course easy to dishearten people. It is also conceivable that it is hard for Tao Yuanming to get the attention and support of the nobles in the DPRK, so that his career will be smooth and his ambitions will be displayed.
The strange situation witnessed in the past three or twelve years
In the twelve years when he was an official and a recluse, Tao Yuanming has seen all the hardships in the world and tasted the embarrassment in troubled times. In addition to the above-mentioned strict gate and valve system, he created certain obstacles in his career when he was young. At that time, the turbulence of the whole social environment and the darkness inside and outside the imperial officialdom also caused him a blow that cannot be underestimated. These blows, in the end, even directly led him to stay away from the official sea, insist on returning to the fields, and embark on the road of no return for the rest of his life.
According to the records, Tao Yuanming has basically been an official three times in his life. These were all his experiences before he was forty-one, and they all happened in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The first time was in the eighteenth year of Taiyuan (393), "Gong was twenty-nine years old. Pro-poor hometown, from the state to drink ",but for the reason of" unbearable official duties ","less days, self-salvation. " In the same year, "the state called the main book, not on." His "state drink offering" was in the eighteenth year of Taiyuan from his first appointment to his resignation, so it is certain that he did not have enough time before and after a year as an official. As for why he first became an official, he "returned home in a few days." Some people think that Tao Yuanming was probably inspired by Yang Zhu's allusions before he made such a decision, according to "The world is long, so Yang Zhu stops" and two sentences in the preface of Answer to Pang Joining the Army: "Yang Gong sighs, but he is always sad". "There are too many roads in the world, and how to choose life has become a big problem. At that time, Tao Qian was also standing at the crossroads of life, but he could go south and north, enter and retreat. Yang Zhu advocated full fidelity, and Tao Qian finally chose to retire to the countryside ",adding:" But he probably didn't make up his mind at that time, and he was a bit at a loss in front of the road ". ⑤ This statement seems to have some basis and truth. In addition, the mysterious atmosphere in the society at that time was extremely prosperous, and the literati liked to talk freely and generally admired seclusion. Or the pursuit of spiritual freedom, also left a profound impact on him.
after his first resignation, he began to "devote himself to self-financing" until four years (4 years) of Long 'an, and after about seven years, he became an official again. Many things happened during this period: for example, he lost his wife in middle age. Emperor Xiao died suddenly, and Emperor Jin 'an succeeded to the throne. Andy's uncle Wang Gong crusaded against Wang Guobao, opposed Sima Daozi's unauthorized power, and Jin began civil strife. Huan Xuan is not subject to the orders of the DPRK. Sima Yuanxian was in chaos. Sun En Uprising ... The world was in a mess. The following year, he met his biological mother, Montessori, and immediately resigned and went home on the grounds of mourning. Time flies. Four years later, in the third year of Yuan Xing (44), Tao Yuanming finally became an official for the third time. During these four years, Sima Yuanxian petitioned Huan Xuan and was killed by Huan Xuan. Sun En uprising was defeated, and Lu Xun succeeded it. Huan Xuan usurped the throne and changed the title to Chu ... In February of the third year of Yuan Xing, Emperor Wu of Song and others rose up against Huan Xuan, and Huan Xuan took Andi and fled Jiangling, and was defeated and killed in May. It was the spring and autumn of the year when there was endless war and there was no news. At this time, Tao Yuanming also wrote several poems, such as Stop Clouds, Fortune and Drinking Alone in the Rain. Just one month after Huan Xuan's death, he rushed to Jingkou as a town government to join the army. In March of the following year, Emperor Jin 'an was restored to Jiankang, and in August, Tao Yuanming became Peng Zeling, which was his last official title. In November of the same year, he abandoned his official position and returned to his hometown, and wrote the famous "Returning to Xi Ci", which was an end between this official and hiding, going and coming-and it was also a beginning.
As for Tao Yuanming's determined retirement, some people think that after he resigned from Peng Ze's order, he knew that Emperor Wu of Song had made great contributions to quelling the Huan Xuan rebellion and had gradually taken power (the so-called "Wang Ye gradually prospered"), and he was unwilling to cooperate with him. Rushen