Classical Prose
五柳先生传
陶渊明
先生不知何许人也，亦不详其姓字。
宅边有五柳树，因以为号焉。
闲静少言，不慕荣利。
好读书，不求甚解；每有会意，便欣然忘食。
性嗜酒，家贫不能常得。
亲旧知其如此，或置酒而招之。
造饮辄尽，期在必醉；既醉而退，曾不吝情去留。
环堵萧然，不蔽风日。
短褐穿结，箪瓢屡空，晏如也。
常著文章自娱，颇示己志。
忘怀得失，以此自终。
赞曰：
黔娄之妻有言：不戚戚于贫贱，不汲汲于富贵。
其言兹若人之俦乎？
衔觞赋诗，以乐其志，无怀氏之民欤？葛天氏之民欤？
Translation
The gentleman does not know where he comes from, nor is his full name clear. By his house there are five willow trees, and he takes his name from them. He is quiet and speaks little, untouched by glory or profit. He loves reading but does not force to comprehend every word; whenever he grasps a meaning, he is so happy he forgets to eat. He has a natural fondness for wine, but his family is poor and cannot always provide it. Knowing this, his relatives and old friends sometimes prepare wine and invite him over. When he goes, he always drinks to the last drop and aims to get thoroughly drunk. Once drunk, he departs without a hint of reluctance or regret. His rooms are bare and cannot shelter him from wind or sun. His clothes are coarse and patched; his rice basket and gourd ladle are often empty — yet he remains perfectly content. He often writes prose and poetry to amuse himself, and they reveal his aspirations well. Careless of gain and loss, he lives out his days this way. In praise of him, I say: The wife of Qian Lou said, 'One should not be distressed by poverty and lowliness, nor anxiously pursue wealth and rank.' Can these words describe this man? Drinking his wine and reciting his poems, he delights in his own purpose. Is he a man of the age of Wuhuai? Or a man of the age of Getian?
Analysis
Biography of the Gentleman of Five Willows is Tao Yuanming's autobiographical essay written in the third person. Despite its brevity, it captures his entire moral and spiritual character. The gentleman's name is unknown — he is defined not by social identity but by what he does and how he lives. Five willow trees provide his name, suggesting closeness to nature and indifference to convention. 'Quiet, speaks little, untouched by glory or profit' establishes his essential character: stillness, non-contention, freedom from ambition. 'Loves reading but does not force to understand every word' is one of Tao's most famous statements about intellectual life. He reads for insight and joy, not for scholarly mastery or social advancement. The passage about wine is gently humorous: too poor to buy it regularly, but happy to accept invitations from friends and drink freely. The description of poverty is frank but not self-pitying: bare rooms, patched clothes, empty bowls — 'yet he remains perfectly content.' Tao never romanticizes poverty. He simply refuses to let material lack corrupt his spirit. 'Careless of gain and loss, he lives out his days this way' is the key summary. The concluding 'in praise' section quotes Qian Lou's wife and asks whether the gentleman belongs to the age of Wuhuai or Getian — legendary utopian eras. Tao Yuanming does not belong to his own troubled time. He belongs to a more innocent, simpler age of civilization. The essay's greatness lies in its compression: using minimal detail about an unnamed man to create a complete portrait of how a person can live with integrity, joy, and purpose under any circumstances.
About the Author
Tao Yuanming, also known as Tao Qian, was a poet and prose writer of the late Eastern Jin and early Liu Song period. His courtesy name was Yuanliang, and he was from Chaisang in Xunyang. After brief service in government, he withdrew from official life and lived in the countryside, famously refusing to 'bend his back for five pecks of grain.' He is one of the most important pastoral poets in Chinese literary history. His work is known for natural simplicity, moral independence, love of rural life, and longing for spiritual freedom.