“For five bushels of grain 为五斗米折腰 wèi wǔ dǒu mǐ zhéyāo, I bow like a servant.” This was the lament of Tao Qian (365 or 372-427) 陶潜 táo qián also known as Tao Yuanming 陶渊明 táo yuān míng, one of the most influential pre-Tang poets. 五斗米 refers to the miserly salary of a low ranking officer. Today, the proverb is taken to mean "swallowing one's pride in exchange for a meager existence".
Weary of the formal and corrupted life in court, he retired at the young age of 40 and celebrated his freedom with the poem “Returning to My Garden” 归园田居 guī yuán tián jū. The last two lines of that poem was –
久在樊笼里 jiǔ zài fánlóng lǐ
复得返自然 fù de fǎn zìrán
Long have I been in a cage
I return to my natural self.
He lived out the remaining 22 years of his life in peaceful retirement despite many attempts to lure him back. He devoted himself to be a gentleman farmer and a poet of nature. His poetry only came to be appreciated for its simple beauty during the Tang and Song Dynasties. He is a man worthy of respect. Wish I could emulate him.
Even Du Fu 杜甫 dùfǔ had this to say of him:
Only by wine one's heart is lit,
Only a poem calms a soul that's torn.
You'd understand me, Tao Qian.
I wish a little sooner I was born!
He is also the author depicting the mysterious and intriguing world in Peach Blossom Spring 桃花源 táo huā yuán to be found in the next post...
How daring is he to make such a comment, at that age when loyalty and willingness to serve were such valued characteristics. What would happen if his superiors or the emperor got wind of it?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the modern version of 为五斗米折腰？Surely we don't say this anymore, not in this day and age...
That is why he is so worthy of respect. His willingness and courage to turn his back on the world and lived the way he really wanted. How many of us entertain that thought? But how many of us carry it out?
ReplyDeleteThis proverb is still in use today. But it is ofter shorten to just 为了五斗米.