Text/Editor: Xia Youfeng
"The Peach Blossom Spring" is a work of Tao Yuanming in his later years, which not only constructs the ideal society in Tao Yuanming's heart, but also portrays the image of a perfect hermit.
Chen Yinke once researched the prototype of the Peach Blossom Land in "Circumstantial Evidence of the Peach Blossom Spring". In recent years, the academic research on the "Peach Blossom Spring" has not decreased, but most of them have focused on the discussion of its "utopian" fantasy.
Today, the author will start with the image of "fisherman" to understand the source of "fisherman", dig deep into Tao Yuanming's inner pursuit of life, and understand the "peach blossom source" he constructed with the most true and happy heart.
1. The image of the "fisherman" in "Zhuangzi Fisherman" and "Chu Ci Fisherman".
Looking at history, it can be seen that the image of the "fisherman" was formed in "Zhuangzi - The Fisherman" and "Chu Ci - The Fisherman". The titles of these two works are similar, and both create the image of a hermit who is not bound to the vulgar, but the image of the "fisherman" has its own commonalities and uniqueness, and contains different meanings.
The common denominator of "Zhuangzi Fisherman" and "Chu Ci Fisherman" is that the origin of the "fisherman" in the two works is unknown and full of mystery.
In "Zhuangzi: The Fisherman", Confucius played the piano and sang in the drapery woods, and before the song was finished, the "Fisherman" appeared, and the text did not write where the "Fisherman" came from, and the trace of the "Fisherman" leaving could not be explored, but only disappeared among the reeds, making the conversation between Confucius and him like a big dream.
Similarly, in "Chu Ci: The Fisherman", Qu Yuan was slandered and banished and was full of resentment, wandering by the Yuan River, and the "Fisherman" appeared to talk to Qu Yuan.
It does not explain anything about the "fisherman" himself, nor does it describe where he came from.
The "fisherman" left only his own advice and drifted away, and his trace was also unsearchable.
"The Book of Song: The Preface to the Biography of Yinyi" says: "The husband is hidden for words, the traces are not seen, and the Tao is unknowable." "They are content to live a quiet and comfortable life, escape from the shackles of the world, and pursue freedom of mind.
The image of the "fisherman" in "Zhuangzi Fisherman" and "Chu Ci Fisherman" also has its differences.
"Zhuangzi: The Fisherman" mainly writes about the dialogue between Confucius and the fisherman, and tends to criticize Confucius.
The "Fisherman" mainly focuses on criticizing Confucius's behavior of "decorating etiquette and music, selecting people, and transforming the people".
On a deeper level, this is a refutation of the Confucian system of etiquette. In the chapter of "The Analects of Weizi", a group of hermits such as "Chu Crazy Receiving Public Opinion", "Chang Frustration", "Drowning" and "Lotus Zhangren" criticized Confucius's attitude of actively interfering in world affairs.
It can be seen that the hermits of the time opposed Confucius's intervention in world affairs. According to the research of previous scholars, "Zhuangzi Fisherman" and "Chu Ci Fisherman" were both produced in the Warring States Period, but "Zhuangzi Fisherman" is slightly earlier than "Chu Ci Fisherman".
During the Warring States Period, the princes competed with each other, the etiquette collapsed, and the people were not happy, which created an ideological "hundred schools of thought".
Various schools of thought have put forward their own theories in order to cope with the various pressures brought by the troubled times to people's survival, thoughts, and choices.
"The Analects of Tabor" says: "If there is a way in the world, you will see it, and if there is no way, you will hide it." "Take whether there is a way in the world as the criterion to choose the way to deal with the world. It emphasizes that in troubled times, one should choose the right way to live in order to save one's life and maintain one's spiritual purity.
In "Zhuangzi and the Fisherman", Confucius actively "decorates etiquette and music" in troubled times, eager to help in troubled times.
The "fisherman" believes that when "the law is noble and true, not confined to the world", and the world should be based on "the princes and doctors of the Son of Heaven, these four are self-righteous, and the beauty of governance is also", advocating to maintain the true freedom of the soul and not be bound by worldly external objects.
The ritual system advocated by Confucius is to restrain human nature to achieve the purpose of maintaining rule, which is completely contrary to the concept of "fisherman".
Therefore, the "fisherman" persuaded Confucius to go beyond the common and return to the basics. It is a concern for the freedom of the individual mind.
In troubled times, Confucianism emphasized temporary retreat to preserve oneself, while the "fisherman" advocated detachment from the world, maintaining personal independence, and gaining spiritual freedom.
All in all, in the dialogue between Confucius and the "fisherman", it can be seen that the image of Confucius is only used to highlight the criticism of the Taoist school represented by the "fisherman" on the Confucian system of etiquette and music.
But at a deeper level, it reveals that the hermit represented by the "fisherman" made the choice to escape from the world in order to pursue the purity of his soul in the troubled times.
The image of the "fisherman" in "Chu Ci: The Fisherman" also has its uniqueness.
In "Zhuangzi: The Fisherman", the "Fisherman" chooses to retreat to "the world has no way", in order to escape from the world and preserve the clarity of his soul.
In "Chu Ci: The Fisherman", the "Fisherman" chooses to rise and fall in the turbid world, gives up the pursuit of purity of sentiment, and is willing to compete with the world, so as to gain living space and even fame and fortune.
It can be said that for the "fisherman" in "Chu Ci: The Fisherman", the pursuit of material things such as fame and fortune is higher than the pursuit of inner discipline and spiritual freedom.
In contrast, Qu Yuan "would rather go to Xiangliu and be buried in the belly of the river fish." An Neng is white with the whiteness of the bright, and covered with the dust of the world?" highlights its high pursuit of freedom and even discipline.
Qu Yuan encountered traitorous slander and suspicion of the monarch in the troubled times, but he resolutely fought against the dark reality, pursued the clarity and freedom of his soul, and expressed his noble sentiment of not wanting to be in the same stream with the world.
This spirit of his was vigorously praised by later generations of literati, inspiring people in the dark reality to fight against filth and maintain noble sentiments.
2. The connection between Tao Yuanming's life choices and "Zhuangzi Fisherman" and "Chu Ci Fisherman".
Tao Yuanming's life was bumpy, before he returned to his hometown at the age of forty-two, he went out four times, all of which did not go well, and finally resigned helplessly.
This extraordinary experience brought him different life experiences, so that he wrote a large number of poems, among which the landscape idyll is the most famous, Zhong Rong of the Southern Dynasty called Tao Yuanming "the ancestor of ancient and modern hidden poets".
Tao Yuanming wrote many poems after his retreat, expressing his interests and life pursuits.
The hermit that Tao Yuanming admires in his poems and the "fisherman" in "Zhuangzi - The Fisherman" are both images of wise men who are not tempted by worldly fame and fortune in troubled times, and adhere to noble ethics and the spirit of a gentleman who is poor and pure.
In the face of the turbulent times in the last years of the Western Jin Dynasty, Tao Yuanming also chose "If there is a way in the world, you will see, and if there is no way, you will hide", and decided to leave the officialdom and return to the countryside.
In the face of the chaotic society, they were powerless to change, and chose to indulge themselves and escape from reality.
At that time, many celebrities advocated mavericks, not being shackled by etiquette and law, returning to nature, and pursuing the "real" celebrity and gentleman style, therefore, a large number of literati who imitated Ruan's pursuit of liberalization, such as Wang Cheng, Xie Wan, Wang Chen and others.
In "The World Speaks New Words", the chapters of "Ren Sheng" and "Jian Ao" record the stories of Wang Cheng stripping off his clothes and taking magpies, and Yin Envy not giving books and mails.
They indulged in pleasure on the pretext of indulgence, and lost the spirit of criticism of society by Ruan Ji and others, resulting in the moral degradation and filthy atmosphere of the society at that time. The unrestrained indulgence of celebrities and scholars in the Wei and Jin dynasties coincides with the concept that the fisherman advocates that "the sage does not stagnate in things, but can move with the world" in "Chu Ci: The Fisherman", and does not stick to its truth but can change with the world.
At the same time, when the whole society was full of hypocrisy and indulgence, Tao Yuanming stood tall in the world with his frank and natural behavior of retreating to the countryside.
Tao Yuanming is different from the unrestrained self-indulgence of the people of the time in order to return to nature, he pursues a return to nature with a simple life, spiritual freedom, personality independence, and high integrity, and Qu Yuan would rather be buried in the belly of the fish in "Chu Ci Fisherman", in order to "An can be white with a bright light, and covered with the dust of the world" The ethics became the object of Tao Yuanming's Xi.
Tao Yuanming wrote in one of the "Twenty Songs of Drinking": "'Under the ragged thatched eaves, it is not enough to live high. All the life is still the same, may the king rip its mud. I deeply feel the words of my father, and I am not harmonious. You can learn from sincerity, but you can't go against yourself!"
Faced with a similar advice to the "fisherman", Tao Yuanming firmly rejected the persuasion of Tian's father, and was determined not to go along with the world.
3. The unique significance of the fisherman's imagery in "The Story and Poem of the Peach Blossom Spring".
"The Peach Blossom Spring" is the ideal "paradise" described by Tao Yuanming in the face of the precarious situation of the Jin Dynasty society.
The work takes the "fisherman" as a clue, and follows the whereabouts of the "fisherman", unfolding the tracing of the ideal "Peach Blossom Spring".
At the beginning of the article, the origin and occupation of the "fisherman" are explained, and "Wuling people fish for their business", which is different from the image of the "fisherman" who does not know the origin and trace in "Zhuangzi Fisherman" and "Chu Ci Fisherman".
The image of the "fisherman" in "The Story and Poem of the Peach Blossom Spring" has developed, which is closer to real life, and is integrated with the illusory "Peach Blossom Spring", giving people a sense of reality and illusion.
"The Peach Blossom Spring" depicts the life of the "Peach Blossom Spring" in which men and women weave, self-sufficient, "yellow hair hangs down, and enjoy themselves".
The quiet and peaceful living environment is similar to Tao Yuanming's "Five Songs of Returning to the Garden" in "more than ten acres of square houses, eight or nine thatched houses." ...... The dog barks in the deep alley, and the rooster cries and the mulberry tree is very similar.
From this, it can be seen that the "Peach Blossom Spring" is born from Tao Yuanming's real sights and feelings. When the "fisherman" arrived at the "Peach Blossom Spring", he was warmly welcomed by the residents of Taoyuan, who "wanted to return home and set up wine to kill chickens for food".
In reality, Tao Yuanming is often helped by relatives and friends when he is in embarrassment, and "The Biography of Mr. Wuliu" writes that Tao Yuanming "is addicted to alcohol, and his family is poor." Knowing the old and knowing why, or putting wine and recruiting it".
Even when Tao Yuanming was poor and sick in his later years, he often did not have enough to eat, and had to beg for food at the homes of relatives and friends in embarrassment. The master understands the remainder, and the bequest is not in vain. Talk about harmony all day and night, and pour the cup at a glance".
Tao Yuanming's personal experience made him yearn for and show his simple folk customs in the ideal Peach Blossom Spring.
"Peach Blossom Spring" does not mention any feudal government institutions from beginning to end, and the life of Taoyuan residents is completely autonomous, without any power participating in governance, which seems to be a retreat from politics, and can even be said to be a kind of opposition.
Tao Yuanming "did not bend his waist for five buckets of rice", angrily left the officialdom, determined his career, and lived in seclusion in the countryside.
The hermit's detachment from the world is essentially a catharsis of dissatisfaction with the existing social and political affairs, and the real experience makes Tao Yuanming realize the bloody and cruel political overturning of officialdom.
Therefore, in the construction of the ideal society, the "Peach Blossom Spring", the dark politics was removed, and only the autonomy of the people who lived and worked in peace and contentment was left in harmony with nature.
And Tao Yuanming's setting of the storyline of "Fisherman" straying into the "Peach Blossom Spring" and "Fisherman" finding the "Peach Blossom Spring" again in "The Story and Poem of the Peach Blossom Spring" is thought-provoking.
The "fisherman's" exploration of the "Peach Blossom Spring" is just like Tao Yuanming's admiration for hermits such as "Chu Crazy Reception", "Chang Frustration", "Drowning" and "Lotus Zhangren".
The "Peach Blossom Spring" folk customs are simple, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, which can be described as the most happy and beautiful, and Confucianism also pursues "happiness" - the joy of Yan Hui. The "music" that Tao Yuanming pursued in "Peach Blossom Spring" is precisely the "music" under Confucian feelings.
In the work, the "fisherman" seeks the "Peach Blossom Spring" with the help of the government and for the purpose of chasing fame and fortune, and finally loses the "Peach Blossom Spring". When the "fisherman" strays into the "Peach Blossom Spring", the "fisherman" is like the "fisherman" in "Zhuangzi and the Fisherman", who has nothing to ask for and sticks to his truth, so he can find the "Peach Blossom Spring".
Summary:
"The Peach Blossom Spring" is Tao Yuanming's representative work, which expresses his yearning for the "Peach Blossom Spring" ideal society.
The "Peach Blossom Spring" is virtual, but it projects the real society that Tao Yuanming has seen and heard, and uses the image of "fisherman" to express the "Peach Blossom Spring" that he wants to pursue his soul.
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