Poet who quit office rather than 'bow for five pecks of rice' and went home to farm, writing of fields, chrysanthemums and wine. His 桃花源记 gave Chinese the phrase 世外桃源 for a hidden paradise.
The story of Tao Yuanming refusing to 'bow for five pecks of rice' is known to every household.
Tips
usage
The idiom 不求甚解 comes from his self-portrait as 'Mr Five Willows', who loved books but 'did not seek a thorough understanding', reading for delight. Today the idiom criticises shallow, careless learning.
culture
His couplet 采菊东篱下，悠然见南山, 'picking chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge, I calmly catch sight of the southern hills', from his fifth 'Drinking Wine' poem, is among the most quoted in Chinese poetry.
