What are the reasons why ancient poets lived in seclusion?

There are various reasons and purposes for ancient literati to retire, but on the whole, only a few retired voluntarily, and most literati had to retire or were forced to go into the mountains. The poet Che Ling once hit the nail on the head and pointed out: "Meet each other late, bid farewell to being an official, and see no one under the forest." ("Appreciating the Secretariat of Dan Wei in Toring Temple") Although this statement is a bit exaggerated, it is not unreasonable. The reasons why the ancients lived in seclusion are as follows:

(1) Nature: Nature loves autumn mountains.

There are not many literati who really live in seclusion only for mountains and rivers, but it is undeniable that the beautiful mountains and rivers, especially the leisurely life of seclusion in mountains and rivers, is indeed one of the important reasons that induce literati to live in seclusion. Tao Yuanming is a typical example in this respect. He clearly said in "Returning to the Garden": "No vulgar rhyme, naturally love Qiushan. I sneaked into the official career network and have been away from the game for more than ten years. The birds are loving Lao Lin, and the fish in the pond are thinking about the past. " Poets regard nature as their old forest source and officialdom as a trap and cage. This natural love for nature has become one of the important reasons why literati live in seclusion in the mountains.

A Song of Monks in the Mountains was found in Dunhuang documents;

Ask, "What's good about living in the mountains?" ? Get up early and go to bed early. In the mountains, the grass is soft, and the pine and cypress are always full. Voya

Xiaosheng, stone pillow brain, a hug of grass for a coat. If there is a wolf in front of you, a gust of wind will sweep it away. Hiding alone in the mountains, it was smooth sailing.

Tao, there is no more confusion and interference.

Living in the mountains, I have no worries about food and clothing, and even cleaning is done by the mountain wind. Let's look at Zhang's description of landscape seclusion;

Clouds coming to the mountains are better, and clouds going to the mountains are picturesque. Mountains are bright because of clouds, and clouds compete with mountains. Stand on the sand with a stick. See you later.

Shanjia. Wild deer sleep in the mountain pavilion, and mountain apes play with wild flowers. Xia Yun, I like priceless mountains. Look at the time, Yunshan loves us.

(Winning Order and Retirement of Two-tone Goose)

I used to make waves for fame and fortune, but now I forget fame and fortune for landscapes; I used to go to the early morning when chickens crowed, but now it's almost noon.

Natural sleep. In the past, I used to stand in Dan. Now, I put chrysanthemums in Dongli. I used to bow to power, but now I'm at large.

Know; Usually, I am crazy and risk the crime of transferring my staff. Now that it's cheap, there will be many problems in class. ("Double Dead Goose Fall"

With the command of victory ")

The word "cloud" and the word "mountain" in the first song are repeatedly sung in appropriate positions, which not only forms a beautiful rhyme like flowing clouds, but also shows the poet's love for green mountains and white clouds. The two blend and complement each other, and together outline a beautiful and peaceful picture of seclusion. People love mountains, people love mountains, people and mountains blend together, and things and I are one. I really don't know what will happen tonight! In the post-Song Dynasty, the "ordinary" official career was compared with the "present" secluded life, which made readers strongly feel the leisure and superiority of secluded mountain life.

(b) I failed in the imperial examination and had to retire: since the world can't meet our aspirations, I will loosen my hair tomorrow and take a fishing boat.

The original purpose of ancient people's reading was almost to govern the country and the people, and to worship their ancestors. However, the official positions that the imperial court can provide for scholars are limited after all, and most scholars have to go to the mountains to live in seclusion with "know-how" and regret. The mood of these people is quite painful.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Ren Fan who lived in Jiangdong. He once walked thousands of miles to Chang 'an to take the exam, but he failed in Sun Shan. His pain and despair can be seen from a passage he told the examiner after his failure:

A servant from a cold country, not far from Wan Li, came to Chang 'an with his hand covered by the sun and won the first honor from his parents. Isn't it an assistant minister

Wen Jiangdong is a fan, and his family is poor and bitter, so he forbear to let him go to Tathagata. From then on, I dare to quit, play the piano to amuse myself, and learn to enjoy myself.

(Biography of Talented Scholars in the Tang Dynasty, Volume 7)

As a poor scholar, it is not easy for Ren Fan to walk to and from Wan Li to catch the exam. He came full of hope, but returned empty-handed. It is said that the examiner was ashamed after hearing his remarks and wanted to keep him, but Ren Fan insisted on leaving. It is not clear what he did later, but according to his last sentence, he probably became a hermit.

Luo Yin was a famous poet and essayist in the late Tang Dynasty. His life experience clearly explains how enterprising literati are forced to become hermits.

Luo Yin was ambitious in his early years, and wanted to enter the imperial court through the imperial examination, so as to be a famous minister who "decided right and wrong with a big handle" (Transcription and Reorder of Scriptures). According to historical records, Luo Yin began to take the Jinshi examination at the age of 20, and passed the examination until he was 55. During these 35 years, he 10 failed the exam and had to travel around the world but accomplished nothing. This very unbearable rough encounter has dealt a great blow to Luo Yin's mind. He wrote many poems to express his disappointment and shame after failing in the exam. He is deeply sorry for his teachers and friends, far ashamed of the ancients, and even ashamed in front of prostitutes:

Luo yin ... on the day of his first visit, a banquet was held in Yu, and Yunying, a prostitute, was a must. First, then, after Zhong Ling, again.

Meet England. Yunying clapped her hands and said, "Is Luo Xiucai still white?" Cover up your inner shame and find a poem to ridicule: "Zhong Ling is drunk."

Yu Chun saw Yunying in the palm of his hand again. I am not famous or married, so we are all inferior. "(He Guangyuan's" Lessons ")

Volume 8)

The court doesn't want Luo Yin, and the man doesn't want Yunying. Luo Yin seized this similarity and barely tied the other side. As a scholar, Luo Yin compares himself with a prostitute, which shows that he is ashamed and sensitive to his repeated backwardness. Luo Yin, who hit a wall everywhere in society, suddenly thought of Zhuangzi. He wrote many poems and comforted himself with all the useless things in Zhuangzi. Even so, he still felt that the backwardness made it difficult for him to raise his head in society, so he took off his youth, put on his cassock and hid in the deep mountains and forests.

For various reasons, there are countless literati who have to live in seclusion like this in the history of China. It can be said that every seemingly handsome hermit has a bitter account in his arms.

(3) Fear of disaster: Reese has yellow dog worries, and Lu Ji has Huating sighs, so he is lazy about fame and fortune.

In Yuan Dynasty, Zhang wrote clearly that he lived in seclusion for fear of disaster:

Ban Dingyuan drifted in Yutong, and the Chuling was haggard and withered. Reese has yellow dog sorrow, Lu Ji has Huating sigh. Zhang Jianzhi Lao Lai

I lost my life four or five times when I was in trouble. Therefore, the name is lazy. ("Two-tone Drunk Dongfeng Class Drift Far"

Guan Yu ")

This piece of music gives six historical examples in succession: Ban Chao's martial arts are unparalleled, Qu Yuan is extremely loyal, Li Sigong ranks first, Lu Ji is famous all over the world, Zhang Jianzhi is wily, and Su Dongpo is a genius. However, because they all set foot in the officialdom, some wandered around, and some sighed during the execution, it was difficult for them to enjoy life in despair. In that case, there is no need to take risks in officialdom if you have food and drink! The Yu people in the Yuan Dynasty and Chen Duo in the Ming Dynasty also advocated seclusion for the same reason:

Nanshan bean seedlings are short of a few acres, so go home first. The big official got a fish in the pot, and the little official got a rabbit in the hole. Fighting is like reading behind closed doors!

(Yu Ren's "Shuangdiao Qingjiang Sound and Body Clear")

Imitate Shao Ping to plant melons, learn from Lu Tong to make tea, like spring rain and everything, and count the rafters near gull sand, not under Tao Zhu. poetic sentiment

Wine is a matter of love, while piano and books are leisure. If you let go, you will be stubborn, and if you let go, you will play. With gold in your hand and Qionglin's flowered hat in your hand, you will get into big trouble one day.

(Chen Duo, "Zhong Yin Gui")

It's not that these literati don't want to have gold seals on their hands and flowers on their hats. They just think that officials, big and small, are like fish in a pot and rabbits in a net, and they may be eaten by others at any time and place. They are worried that after entering the official career, they will one day fall into political disputes and cannot get away. What kind of mood do these hermits take to look at those dignitaries? Zhang Kejiu has a poem "Double Carving Dong Qingyuan":

The door was long and closed. The guest knocked at the door, but Shan Tong didn't call Chen Tuan. Six towers in the sleeve, two hairs on the temples, and a gourd ladle at home. He is determined to laugh.

Idle people, he slipped away, and idle people laughed.

Lying in the mountains, these hermits have the feeling of watching the jokes of dignitaries. Their psychology may not conform to China's traditional moral standards, but it is a good way to balance their psychology.

(4) Dislike officialdom: A rich family has thousands of grievances.

The darkness of officialdom has existed since ancient times. Disliking the dark officialdom is another reason why literati live in seclusion. For example, Milansha in Yuan Dynasty belongs to this kind of people. In the early Ming Dynasty, in the fourth volume of Caomuzi, Talking about Articles, Milansha wrote such a poem about immortals when she was the ambassador to Fujian from Yuan Dynasty to Shun Dynasty.

The sword and pen have been together for forty years. It's Qian Qian. A family is rich and resentful, and its fame is immortal for half its life. Purple teeth

The robe is gone now, and the bamboo stick mango shoes are carefree. Someone asked me Penglai, there are clouds in the sky.

This is an old bureaucrat's deep regret for his career. He thinks that the wealth of a family is based on the resentment of thousands of families in Qian Qian, and the fame of a half-life is actually the sin of a half-life, so he wants to put down his teeth, take off his purple robe and go into the mountains to be a hermit. Of course, it is very rare for people like this to abandon their officials and retire because of infighting.

(5) South Shortcut: Today is also hidden, and Jue is among them.

"Shortcut to the South" is a famous allusion. This story happened in the Tang Dynasty poet Lu Zangyong and the famous Taoist Sima:

When Sima Chengzhen is called to Quexia, he will return to the mountain. He hid his finger and said to the south, "There are great advantages here." Cheng Zhen Xu Yue:

"It is a shortcut for an official to treat it as a servant." It's embarrassing to hide. (Biography of Lu Zangyong in the New Tang Dynasty)

Lu Zangyong is an enterprising man, but his career is unfavorable. In order to gain greater fame and higher office, he went into seclusion. Zhong Nanshan is close to Chang 'an, the capital, and Shaoshi Mountain is close to Luoyang, the eastern capital, so he chose Zhong Nanshan and Shaoshi Mountain as his seclusion, so people at that time nicknamed him "the hermit who drives the car". Later, Lu Zangyong really entered the imperial court through this "shortcut to the south" and stayed in an important position.

Another official who entered through the "Southern Shortcut" was a famous Taoist in the Song Dynasty. Zifang is from Luoyang, Henan. His father and brothers were junior officials, but Zifang and his mother lived in seclusion in Zhong Nanshan. Later, Yin became famous, was recommended by Qian Ruoshui and Wang Yucheng, and was valued by the imperial court. He was called to North Korea many times, and Song Zhenzong also wrote poems by Zeng Zeng to show his luck. Gao Yi, a talk about Lu Shuiyan, said: "True teaching is superior to ceremony, not as good as recent times. One day, he boarded the Longtuge and was released. Zhenzong lowered his hand to help him. Gu said: "In the past, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was superior to Li Bai, and the emperor used a spoon. Today, I put my hand on the cabinet. This is a generous gift and worthy of the previous generation. " "The kind of interpretation is called' Senior One', but is he really a hermit with fame and fortune? The answer is no, he not only accepted the official position of the imperial court, but also paid great attention to the benefits. "Song Shi, The Story of Seclusion" records:

(Planting) The evening festival is decorated with costumes, which are widely used in Chang 'an, and it is very beneficial to be ten years old. There are also people with strong market, so they go to court.

The Terrans belong to the arrogant. Wang Sizong kept Jing Zhao, let him taste the taste of drunkenness and scold him slowly, while Heizong sent people to accuse him of breaking the law many times, which was an article.

This matter. ..... continue to pay them, but still go to the south for business. Depending on the different places, every line will be given to the post office, on the road or at relatives' homes.

When calculating the straightness of grain utensils, it is appropriate to dip them.

This is not a hermit who is indifferent to fame and fortune. He is clearly a bully who dominates the city and runs rampant in the countryside, so that when the emperor banquets for planting, he "intones Nanshan Wen Yi to mock it" (Biography of Turquoise Living in Idleness).

It was also because of the unfavorable imperial examination in his early years that he sought a "shortcut to the south", and another famous Taoist Chen Tuan awarded him this wonderful prescription. "Talk about Lushui Swallow" said:

It's not the first time to breed openly, but to raise fewer scholars. Mr. Yi Xi said, "This will stop at Jaguar, and we should be separated from the crowd one day."

People. "Ink jade, so at the beginning of the hidden in nanshan leopard valley. When Zhenzong summoned him, he was very fond of him and worshipped the assistant minister of the Ministry of Industry.

His words.

Mr. Yi Xi mentioned in the article is Taoist Chen Tuan, and Nanshan is Zhongnanshan. Chen Tuan not only instructed him to be an official shortcut, but even chose a secluded place for him. Living in Zhong Nanshan, known as a hermit, near Chang 'an, Luoyang and Kaifeng, it is easy for the court to know. Choosing seclusion is also an official knowledge. In particular, the phrase "I will come from the crowd one day" in the article shows that when I was living in seclusion, I had planned to get rich and famous and get ahead.

Of course, not everyone who takes the shortcut to the south can be as lucky as Lu Zang's seed, and some people "steal the chicken and not eat the rice" and stumble on this shortcut. The New Tang Book Du Ruhui Biography records such a thing:

(Du) presided over the ceremony. He has a reputation for being argumentative. When Emperor Sui opened the emperor, he consulted with his friend Wei Fusi and said, "Easy to use.

Tibetan, Su Wei was called by a hermit and got a beautiful official. "Is * * * into Taibai Mountain, for those who are not officials. Emperor Wen hated it and defended the river table.

Du Yan has long known this shortcut. Unfortunately, when taking this shortcut, he did not hide his "tail" and was caught by Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty. As a result, he did not reach his destination-officialdom, but was exiled to Jiangnan. There were many pseudo-hermits like this in ancient times, so Pi Rixiu sighed in the book of Lumeng's Hidden Stories: "Ancient seclusion is also among them; Jin Yin is also among them. " The Book of the New Tang Dynasty, Biography of Seclusion, also has a profound exposition on this phenomenon: "Those who indulge in profit pretend that their real names are honest officials, rubbing their shoulders on the Tao, and finally counting south, making music a shortcut to being an official, and losing your honor."

In real life, the reasons for seclusion are far more complicated than the above, such as seclusion because of national subjugation, seclusion for monasticism and so on. This point is also covered in other chapters, so I won't say it here.