Tao Yuanming's thought can be summarized as: to return to a "true self" by eliminating the acquired "false self" that has been influenced by the secular world. Tao Yuanming saw the decay of society, but he had no power to change it, so he had to pursue his own moral perfection. He saw the social crisis, but couldn't find the right way to save it, so he had to turn to the return of human nature. This may be partly realized by himself, especially in the poetic realm he created, but it is ineffective as a prescription for treating society.
Tao Yuanming is the representative of romantic life in Wei and Jin Dynasties. The romantic life in Wei and Jin Dynasties is a kind of personality beauty pursued by Wei and Jin scholars, or an artistic life pursued by them. They use their words, behaviors and poems to make their lives full of artistic flavor. From a secular point of view, Tao Yuanming's life is "withered", but from an extraordinary point of view, his life is very artistic. His works such as Biography of Mr. Wu Liu, Back to Xi Ci, Back to the Garden and Fortune all reflect his artistic life. His process of pleading for and resigning from the Pengze county magistrate, his attitude towards Jiangzhou secretariat Wang Hong, the story of fiddling with the harpsichord and the anecdote of drinking wine on his head are also the manifestations of his artistic life. Wine is the medium of his artistic life. Tao Yuanming is an outstanding representative of romantic life in Wei and Jin Dynasties.