葉嘉瑩教授講於萬佛聖城
Lectures by Professor Yeh Jiaying at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
疇息苦長飢，投耒去學仕。將養不得節，凍餒固纏己，
是時向立年，志意多所恥，遂盡介然分，拂衣歸田里。
冉冉星氣流，亭亭復一紀。世路廓悠悠，楊朱所以止。
雖無揮金事，濁酒聊可恃。
Long ago, I endured constant hunger,
So I set aside my farming tools and pursued official study.
Unable to support my family through a stable livelihood,
Cold and hunger continued to haunt me.
As I approached the age of thirty,
My heart was filled with shame and regret.
I chose to withdraw in order to preserve my integrity,
Brushing the dust from my sleeves, I returned to a life of simplicity.
Slowly, the stars move and the seasons change;
Another twelve years have quietly passed.
The paths of the world are long and winding, diverging in countless ways—
Thus Yang Zhu ceased his restless pursuits.
Though I now have no wealth to spend freely,
I still have rustic wine to sustain me.
「疇昔」是很久以前，「耒」是種田的工具。他說：「疇昔苦長飢」，所以我才「投耒去學仕」。孟子說過：「仕非為貧也，而有時乎為貧。」（《孟子 • 萬章》）儒家主張士當以天下為己任，所以讀書人做官不是為了掙錢，而是為了實現救國救民的政治理想，這是「仕非為貧」；可是也有的時候，做官只是為了掙得一份俸祿以養家餬口，那並不是不可以，所以「而有時乎為貧」。
Chouxi (疇昔) means “long ago,” and lei (耒) refers to a farming tool. When Tao Yuanming says, “Long ago, I endured constant hunger, so I set aside my farming tools and pursued official study,” he recalls a time when poverty compelled him to seek a government career. Mencius states: “One does not always seek office because of poverty; yet at times, it is indeed because of poverty” (Mencius, “Wan Zhang”). Confucian scholars generally uphold the ideal that one should take responsibility for the welfare of the world. Thus, becoming an official is not primarily for personal gain, but to realize political ideals—benefiting the people and serving the state. This is what Mencius meant. However, there are also times when one seeks office simply to earn a living and support one’s family. This, too, is understandable and legitimate—hence, “at times, it is because of poverty.”
陶淵明曾經三度出仕。第一次「起為州祭酒」，是因為「親老家貧」（見《晉書 • 隱逸傳》）。第三次出為彭澤令，是因為「幼稚盈室，缾無儲粟」（見〈歸去來兮辭序〉）。這都是為貧而仕。但中間的一次，即做鎮軍參軍和建威參軍的那次，應該是為實現政治理想而做的嘗試。可是他遇到桓玄、劉裕，本以為在他們那裡可以實現自己的政治理想，但隨著這兩個人叛亂跡象的逐漸顯露，他對他們徹底失望，終於選擇了歸隱田園的道路。
Tao Yuanming entered official service three times. The first time, he served as a Gentleman of Rites, primarily because his mother was elderly and his family was poor (as recorded in the Book of Jin, “Biographies of Recluses”).The third time, he became a county magistrate because, as he wrote, “There were many young children in the household, yet no surplus grain in storage” (see the preface to Returning Home). In both of these cases, his motive for taking office was poverty. However, the second time he entered official life was not out of necessity, but from a desire to realize his political ideals. He served successively under General Jianwei (Huan Xuan) and General Zhenjun (Liu Yu). Yet as their ambitions to seize power became increasingly apparent, Tao grew deeply disillusioned. In the end, he chose to withdraw once again, returning to an idyllic life of reclusion.
這在他的一些詩裡都有所流露，比如《飲酒詩》的「長公曾一仕，壯節忽失時。杜門不復出，終身與世辭」，《擬古詩》的「行行停出門，還坐更自思。不怨道里長，但畏人我欺。萬一不合意，永為世笑嗤」等，大致都是指的這件事。
These feelings of disappointment found their way into Tao Yuanming’s poetry. For example, in one of the Drinking Wine poems, he writes:
“Chang Gong once served as an official;/ In his prime, he found himself at odds with the times. / He withdrew into seclusion, never venturing out again,/And remained apart from worldly affairs until the end of his life.” In another of his Poems in the Old Style, he writes: “I set out, yet paused before going far;/ I sat down, lost in thought./ It is not the long road that troubles me, / But the fear that people deceive one another. / If I refuse to conform to their wishes, / I may become an object of ridicule forever.” These lines all point, in different ways, to the same inner conflict and disillusionment.
「將養不得節，凍餒固纏己」：「將養」，這裡指養家餬口，「節」是法度或法則。由於這兩句是接著「投耒去學仕」而說的，所以指的還是「學仕」。他說，我對做官這種謀生養家之道，總是不得其法，所以就總是擺脫不了寒冷與飢餓的糾纏。
“I was unable to support my family through a proper livelihood;/ As a result, cold and hunger continued to haunt me.” The term jiangyang (將養) means to support one’s family and provide for their basic needs, while jie (節) refers to rules, regulations, or established norms. Since this line follows “I set aside my farming tools to pursue official study,” it clearly refers to his attempt to seek office. Tao Yuanming is essentially saying: “It has never suited my nature to pursue official life for the sake of supporting my family; thus, I remain unable to escape poverty and hardship.”
「是時向立年，志意多所恥」：孔子說「三十而立」，所謂「向立年」，是將近三十多歲的樣子。他說，我那時還不到三十歲，可是心裡已經感覺到官場中有很多事情是可恥的。《禮記 • 中庸》說「知恥近乎勇」，「知恥」是一個人走上正道的根本。有的人做了許多錯事也不自覺，不懂得那是一種恥辱；而真正能夠「多所恥」的人，才是一個志節操守嚴格的人，他只要有一點兒事情做得不對，自己就覺得很不好意思。
“As I approached the age of thirty, / My heart was filled with shame and regret.” Confucius said, “At thirty, I established myself.” By contrast, Tao Yuanming reflects that, even before reaching thirty, he already felt deep shame at what he witnessed in official circles. The Doctrine of the Mean states that a sense of shame is close to courage. Indeed, the awareness of shame is the foundation for walking the right path. A person who commits many wrongs may not even recognize them as shameful. But one who is truly capable of feeling shame upon doing wrong is a person of integrity and moral clarity. Such a person immediately feels remorse and unease.
在官場中，官官相護，排除異己，同流合污，吹牛拍馬，陶淵明認為這是可恥的。可是你要知道，知難，行更難。有很多人明明知道這樣做不對，但大家都這樣做，他也就這樣做下去。陶淵明是怎樣做的？他是「遂盡介然分，拂衣歸田里」。「介然」，是清高的、耿直的、不苟且的；「分」是本分的意思；「拂衣」，表示一種堅決的態度。他說，我與他們不同，我要保持我清白的本分，我寧可回到鄉下去種田。
Within official circles, it was common for people to form factions to protect their own interests. They excluded those who disagreed with them while colluding with those who shared their views. In doing so, they sank deeper into corruption, flattery, and self-promotion. Tao Yuanming regarded all of this as profoundly shameful. Yet it is important to recognize: understanding this is already difficult—putting it into practice is even more so. Many people clearly know such behavior is wrong, yet they follow along because “everyone else is doing it.” How, then, did Tao Yuanming break away from this world? As he writes in the poem: “I choose to withdraw to preserve my integrity; / I brush the dust from my sleeves and return to a simple life.” The term jieran (介然) conveys uprightness, aloofness, and an uncompromising spirit. Fen (分) here refers to one’s moral duty or integrity. “Brushing the dust from my sleeves” expresses Tao’s resolute attitude: he would rather preserve his purity than compromise himself. Instead of conforming to corruption, he chose to return to the countryside and live as a farmer.
自從寫了《歸去來兮辭》以後，陶淵明就決心歸隱；此後無論怎樣飢寒，他都沒再出來做官。他說，自從我回來種田之後，「冉冉星氣流，亭亭復一紀」。屈原《離騷》說，「老冉冉其將至兮，恐修名之不立」。「冉冉」，是光陰慢慢推移的樣子；「星氣流」，是指天上星宿的運轉，四時節氣的變化。「亭亭」，本來是很高的樣子，如「亭亭玉立」，但有時也用來形容時間的悠遠。「一紀」，在中國古書裡有不同的解釋，有的說是十年，有的說是十二年。不管是十年也好，十二年也好，總之這兩句的意思是：在這麼長的時間裡，我堅持住了，我站穩了我的腳步，沒有改變我的決定。
After writing the essay “Returning Home” (Guiqulai Ci), Tao Yuanming firmly resolved to withdraw from official life. From that point on, no matter how severe his poverty or hardship, he never again sought office. As he reflects: “Since I returned home to till the fields…/Slowly, the stars move and the seasons turn;/Another twelve years have quietly passed.” By contrast, Qu Yuan, in his “Li Sao” (Lament), writes: “As the years pass and old age draws near,/ I fear I may never establish a worthy name.” The phrase ranran (冉冉) conveys the slow, gradual passage of time. “The stars move and the seasons turn” refers to the orderly movement of the heavens, which gives rise to the four seasons and the twenty-four solar terms of the traditional Chinese calendar. The expression tingting (亭亭) can mean something tall and upright, but it can also suggest the passage of a long stretch of time. Yi ji (一紀) commonly refers to twelve years, though some commentaries interpret it as ten. Whether ten or twelve, the meaning here is clear: over a long period of time, Tao Yuanming remained steadfast, never wavering in his decision.
「世路廓悠悠，楊朱所以止」：人生的道路那麼遙遠、曲折，歧路之中還有歧路，如果你盲目地去追求，今天向這邊闖一頭，明天向那邊闖一頭，你就會永遠在迷途中困惑。楊朱，是戰國時候的人。《列子》上有一個故事，說楊子的鄰居丟了羊，請了許多人去追，結果也沒有追回來，因為大路之中有歧路，歧路之中又有歧路，不知那羊跑到哪裡去了。所以《淮南子》中又有記載，說：「楊子見逵路而哭之，為其可以南可以北。」「逵路」就是四通八達的路。在人世間，有的人是向外追求的。像柳永，一生追求功名，追求愛情，但結果一無所得。我們從他晚年所寫的那首《少年遊》裡，可以感受到他那種一生所有追求全部落空的悲哀。向外的追求是不可恃的，因為它必須依賴很多外在條件，而一切外在條件都是可變的，就好像歧路之中又出現歧路，最後很可能是一場空。
“Worldly paths are long and winding, diverging in countless directions; /Thus, Yang Zhu ceased his restless pursuits.” Human life is like a long and tortuous road, branching endlessly into smaller and smaller paths. If one chases after things blindly, turning this way and that, one soon becomes lost and confused. A story in the Liezi tells of Yang Zhu, a thinker of the Warring States period. One of his neighbors lost a sheep and called on many people to help search for it. Yet they failed, because the main road split into countless smaller paths, which in turn divided again. No one could determine where the sheep had gone. Similarly, the Huainanzi records that Yang Zhu once stood at a crossroads and wept, overwhelmed by the many possible directions. The term kuilu (逵路) refers to a broad thoroughfare extending in all directions. This image speaks to the human condition. Many people spend their lives pursuing external things—fame, wealth, status, or romantic fulfillment. Take Liu Yong (987–1053), for instance: he devoted his life to the pursuit of fame and love, yet in the end gained little of lasting value. In his later ci poem “Youthful Wanderings,” one can sense a deep sorrow, as though all his lifelong pursuits had come to nothing. Worldly pursuits are ultimately unreliable, because they depend on external conditions—conditions that are constantly changing. To chase them is like wandering through branching roads within branching roads; in the end, one often arrives nowhere.
西方人本主義哲學家馬斯洛（Abraham Maslow），把人的需求分為幾個不同的層次，最高的層次是「自我實現」。就是說，你要追求你自身的完善，要自己完成你自己。中國儒家四書中的《大學》，一開頭就說：「大學之道，在明明德，在親民，在止於至善。知止而后有定，定而后能靜，靜而后能安，安而后能慮，慮而后能得。」就是說，一旦有了一個你認為是最好的選擇，就應該「知止」——把它持守住。這樣對你所學的「道」，才能真正有所得，而不是像《荀子‧勸學篇》所說的「入乎耳，出乎口，口耳之間則四寸耳」那樣膚淺。
The Western humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed that human needs are structured in levels, with the highest being “self-actualization”—the realization and perfection of one’s inner potential. Similarly, the Confucian classic Great Learning teaches:
“The way of Great Learning lies in manifesting bright virtue, in loving the people, and in resting in the highest good.
When one knows where to rest, one can set one’s direction;
Having set one’s direction, one can be calm and unperturbed;
In calmness, one attains tranquility;
In tranquility, one can deliberate carefully;
Through such deliberation, one achieves true attainment.”
In other words, once one has discerned the highest good—the place where one ought to “rest”—one must hold firmly to it. Only through such steady practice can one attain something genuine on the path of cultivation. Otherwise, one risks the superficial learning criticized in Xunzi, “Exhortation on Learning”: “What the petty person learns enters through the ears and exits through the mouth—the distance is scarcely four inches.” Such learning is shallow and without depth.
當然，這個「止」是要止於「至善」。就像「栖栖失群鳥」中的那隻鳥，不是隨便找個地方就肯停下來的。牠一定要找到那棵歲寒後凋、堅貞的「孤生松」才肯落在上面，而且是「託身已得所，千載不相違」。陶淵明辭官歸隱，在凍餒交纏之中都能夠始終不後悔，所以「世路廓悠悠，楊朱所以止」這兩句很簡單、很平淡，卻包含了陶淵明一生的品格志節，和他堅貞的操守。
The “rest” spoken of here must be understood as resting in the highest moral excellence. Tao Yuanming may be likened to the “distressed bird, strayed from the flock” (as described in the fourth poem). Such a bird does not settle just anywhere; it seeks out a solitary pine on which it can truly rest. In the same way, Tao would only commit himself to a way of life he could entrust with his entire being. Even after a thousand years, he would not betray his ideals. Thus, when Tao resigned from office and returned to a life of reclusion, he did so without regret—even if it meant enduring cold and hunger. The lines, “Worldly paths are long and winding, diverging in countless ways; / Thus Yang Zhu ceased his restless pursuits,” may appear simple and unadorned, yet they embody Tao Yuanming’s lifelong character, integrity, and unwavering ideals.
「雖無揮金事，濁酒聊可恃」：這裡用了漢朝疏廣、疏受的典故。疏廣、疏受是兩兄弟，官位都很高，疏廣作到太子太傅，疏受作到太子少傅，後來都辭官不做了。臨走的時候，皇帝賜給他們黃金二十斤，太子贈給他們黃金五十斤。回鄉以後，他們每天與鄉親父老飲食遊宴，把這些金子與朋友們一起分享，卻不肯留一些給自己的子孫。別人勸他們顧念子孫，不要這樣揮金如土，他們說如果我們的子孫好，留下這些錢就會增加他們的懶惰；如果我們的子孫不好，留下這些錢就會增加他們作惡的機會，所以還不如現在和親朋鄰里共同享用了這些錢。
“Although I now have no gold to spend freely,/ I still have turbid wine to rely on.” Here, Tao Yuanming alludes to the story of Shu Guang and Shu Shou of the Han dynasty. The two brothers both held high positions: Shu Guang served as the senior tutor to the crown prince, while Shu Shou served as the junior tutor. After several years, they chose to resign together. Upon their departure, the emperor bestowed upon them twenty catties of gold, and the crown prince added another fifty. After returning to their hometown, the brothers used this wealth not to accumulate for their descendants, but to host feasts, sharing freely with relatives, friends, and local elders. When others advised them to save for their children and grandchildren, they replied: “If our descendants are worthy, leaving them wealth will only make them lazy;/ If they are unworthy, leaving them wealth will only enable wrongdoing./ It is better to enjoy it now with those around us.”
陶淵明為什麼用這個典故呢？因為在辭官歸隱和沒留金錢給子孫這兩個方面，陶淵明和二疏是相似的。另外，陶淵明喜歡喝酒，辭官以後雖然沒有人送給他這麼多金子，但是有人送酒。歷史上就記載有「白衣送酒」的故事。說是有一年的九月九日重陽節，陶淵明沒有酒喝，就坐在東籬的菊叢中賞菊，忽然看見遠遠來了一個白衣人，原來是江州刺史王弘派人給他送酒來了。王弘很想結識陶淵明，但又不敢來見陶淵明，因為他知道陶淵明不願意跟他們這些做官的人來往，所以派人來送酒給他。因此，「雖無揮金事，濁酒聊可恃」，是說雖然沒有人送金子給我揮霍，但酒還是能夠常常喝到的。
Tao Yuanming invokes this story because of the similarity he shared with the Shu brothers: all chose to leave official life and return home, and none were concerned with accumulating wealth for future generations. Moreover, Tao himself was deeply fond of wine. After his resignation, although he did not receive gifts of gold, he did at times receive wine. There is a well-known account often referred to as “The White-Robed Man Brings Wine.” On the Double Ninth Festival, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, Tao had run out of wine. He sat among the chrysanthemums, quietly admiring them. Suddenly, he noticed a man in white approaching from afar. The visitor had been sent by Wang Hong (379–432), governor of Jiangzhou, who wished to befriend Tao Yuanming but hesitated to visit him directly. Knowing that Tao avoided contact with officials, Wang Hong instead sent wine as a gesture. This anecdote helps illuminate Tao’s line: “Although I now have no gold to spend freely, / I still have turbid wine to rely on.” In other words: even if no one offers me wealth for indulgence, I still have wine—and with it, a certain contentment.
當然，我們不能肯定陶淵明是因為王弘送酒給他，才寫了飲酒詩。但總而言之，他寫這二十首飲酒詩，很可能就是因為當時有人送酒給他，並和他談到了做官的事，所以才引起了他這麼多的感慨。
Of course, we cannot say with certainty that this poem was inspired specifically by Wang Hong’s gift of wine. Yet it is clear that Tao Yuanming composed these Drinking Wine poems under such circumstances—after drinking, often in the presence (or memory) of those who brought wine and engaged him in conversation. It is perhaps these encounters, and the reflections they stirred, that gave rise to the depth of feeling expressed in these poems. ♦