The Official Career

At the age of twenty, Tao Yuanming began his career as a wanderer to make a living. "In the past, I traveled far and wide until the corner of the East China Sea. The road was wide and long, and the wind and waves blocked the way. Who made this trip? It seemed to be driven by hunger. When I was fully satisfied, there was a little surplus. I was afraid this was not a famous plan, so I rested and returned to my leisurely residence." This is a memory of his career as a wanderer. At this stage, the details of the low-level officials he was forced to serve by life are no longer traceable. After a brief period of living at home, at the age of 29, he was appointed as a sacrificial wine official in Jiangzhou (the specific responsibilities of this official position are yet to be determined). Soon after, he could not bear his official position and resigned from his position, returning home. Not long after, the state summoned him as the chief clerk again, but he resigned from the matter and remained idle at home.

In the second year of Long'an (398 AD), Tao Yuanming joined Huan Xuanmu. At the beginning of the fourth year of Long'an (400 AD), he was sent to the capital as an envoy. In May, he returned home from the capital. However, in Guilin, he was obstructed by strong winds. There is a poem called "In the year of the Gengzi, in May, he returned from the capital to Guilin, obstructing the wind." It expresses his desire to return home and his nostalgia for the garden and his old residence. One year later, due to the loss of his mother, he returned to Xunyang for mourning. After three years of mourning, Tao Yuanming returned to office with the concept of "having no knowledge at forty, and being afraid of nothing", and was appointed as the general of the town army, Liu Yu, to join the army. At this moment, his mood was conflicted. He wanted to pursue a grand career as an official, but after taking office, he still longed for the countryside. "His eyes were tired of the different paths in the rivers, and his heart was filled with longing for the mountains and rivers.".

In March of the first year of Yixi (405 AD), Tao Yuanming joined the army as General Liu Jingxuan of Jianwei. Through the Qianxi envoy, there was a poem titled "In the third month of the Yisi year, he joined the army as General Jianwei and passed by the Qianxi." The poem goes: "In the morning and evening, when you look at the mountains and rivers, everything is as clear as before." "When your family and property are still present, the wind of righteousness is not separated." "In the garden and fields, you dream of settling down for a long time." He has been in turmoil between officialdom and farming for more than ten years, and he is tired and has seen through the life of officials. ".