Panggong was a native of Xiangyang in Nandu. He lived on the southern side of Mount Xian and had never once entered the city or the governor’s administrative offices. He and his wife treated each other with the utmost respect, as if they were honored guests. Liu Biao, the Inspector of Jing Province, repeatedly invited him to serve, but Panggong could not be swayed. Liu Biao then visited him in person and said, “To preserve only oneself, how does that compare to preserving the entire world?”
Panggong smiled and replied, “The swans nest high up in the tall forests, finding a place to roost at dusk; the giant turtles and crocodiles burrow deep beneath the abyss, finding a place to rest at night. The choices, retreats, and actions of men are but their own nests and lairs; each merely seeks a place to settle. The world is not something to be preserved.”
Having spoken, he resumed his plowing on the ridge, while his wife and children weeded the fields ahead of him. Liu Biao pointed at them and asked, “Sir, you willingly endure the hardships of living in the fields and refuse official rank and salary. What will you leave to your descendants for future generations?”
Panggong replied, “The people of the world bequeath danger to their descendants; I alone bequeath them peace. Though what we bequeath is different, it cannot be said that I have bequeathed nothing.”
Sighing, Liu Biao departed. Later, Panggong took his wife and children up Mount Lumen, ostensibly to gather medicinal herbs, and never returned.
Note
Recluse Panggong lived humbly on Mount Xian, treating his wife with full respect. He turned down Governor Liu Biao’s official offers, arguing seclusion brings lasting peace to descendants. Later he took his family to Mount Lumen to gather herbs and never came back.
Panggong:
A legendary hermit of the late Eastern Han dynasty. He represents the ultimate Daoist-influenced ideal of self-preservation and spiritual autonomy. His refusal of Liu Biao is one of the most famous encounters between political power and reclusive virtue in Chinese history.
Liu Biao:
A prominent warlord and governor of Jing Province during the late Eastern Han. Known for his scholarly inclinations, Liu Biao sought to legitimize his rule by recruiting local sages. His failure to recruit Panggong highlights the limits of political power in the face of genuine spiritual independence.
Mutual Respect Like Guests:
A famous Chinese idiom originating from ancient texts (such as the Zuo Zhuan), describing a harmonious and deeply respectful relationship between husband and wife. In the context of hermits, it emphasizes that their partnership is based on shared spiritual values rather than mere domestic duty.
Birds and Turtles Finding Their Nests:
Panggong uses this beautiful natural metaphor to argue for the relativity of values. Just as birds and turtles naturally seek environments suited to their own natures, humans should seek lifestyles suited to their own spiritual dispositions. There is no single, universally correct path.
Bequeathing Peace vs. Danger:
This is a profound philosophical critique of worldly ambition. While politicians and elites accumulate wealth and power (which inevitably invite political purges, wars, and ruin), the hermit’s withdrawal guarantees his family’s safety from the chaotic power struggles of the era.
Gathering Herbs and Never Returning:
“Gathering medicinal herbs” was a common euphemism for entering permanent seclusion in ancient China. Mount Lumen (Deer Gate Mountain) later became one of the most famous hermitage sites in Chinese history, heavily associated with Panggong and later immortalized in Tang dynasty poetry (e.g., by Meng Haoran).
Meng Haoran was a native of Xiangyang and developed a connection with Mount Lumen early in his life. Among the more than 260 poems he left behind, over half are related to Xiangyang and Mount Lumen. It is also said that his most famous poem, “Spring Dawn,” was written at Mount Lumen.
庞公者，南都襄阳人也。居岘山之南，未尝入城府，夫妻相敬如宾。荆州刺史刘表延请，不能屈，乃就候之，曰：“夫保全一身，孰若保全天下乎？”庞公笑曰：“鸿鹊巢於高林之上，暮而得所栖；鼋鼍穴於深渊之下，夕而得所宿。夫趣舍行止，亦人之巢穴也，且各得其栖宿而已，天下非所保也。”因释，耕於垄上，而妻子耘於前。表指而问曰：“先生苦居畎亩，而不肯官禄，后世何以遗子孙乎？”庞公曰：“世人皆遗之以危，今独遗之以安。虽所遗不同，未为无所遗也。”表叹息而去。后遂携其妻子登鹿门山，因采药不反。
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