Tao Yuanming not only has talent in poetry creation, but also has deep intention in prose.

Tao Yuanming has made great achievements in copying poems, prose, ci and fu, but poetry has the greatest influence on later generations. Among the 4 102 poems, pastoral poetry is the most representative. The artistic charm of this pastoral poem lies not so much in its true portrayal of rural life as in its sustenance of Tao Yuanming's ideal of life. Pastoral has been highly purified and beautified by the means of poetry construction, and has become a spiritual refuge in the painful world.