Tao Yuanming is remembered as the serene poet who “picked chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence.” But his famous resignation was far more than a gesture of moral integrity. In an age when Ji Kang was executed at forty, Ruan Ji was broken by forced collaboration, and Lu Ji’s entire clan was wiped out, official…
The Basics The Visual Structure This character is made of two clear parts: Put them together: a pig under a roof.At first glance, that might seem odd – why would a pig define “home”? But think like an ancient farmer: in early agricultural societies, pigs were the most valuable domestic animals. They provided meat,…
–Mao Zedong, July 1, 1959 A peak thrusts up by the Great River’s side,We climb four hundred bends through green and wide.Cool eyes gaze out across the ocean’s tide,Warm winds bear rain o’er river skies abide.
— Xue Tao Petal by petal you fell in late spring last year; Since you are gone, my paper’s wet with tear on tear. I am afraid you’d vanish like cloud in a dream. How can I wish to see you on Peach Blossom Stream? Your fragrance sweet reveals you have a loving heart;…
— by Tao Yuanming (Jin) During the Taiyuan era of the Jin Dynasty, a fisherman from Wuling made his living by fishing. One day, he sailed along a stream, forgetting how far he had traveled. Suddenly, he came upon a grove of peach trees lining both banks for several hundred paces. There were no…