Tai Tong, whose courtesy name was Xiaowei, was a native of Ye County in Wei Commandery. Refusing to take public office, he lived in seclusion on a peak in Mount Wu’an, carving out a cave to dwell in and making a living by gathering medicinal herbs. During the Jianchu era, the provincial authorities summoned him to serve, but he declined. The Inspector of Wei Commandery visited Tai Tong, bringing dates and chestnuts as a traditional token of respect. After conversing with him for a long time, the Inspector remarked, “Xiaowei, living in such conditions must be exceedingly hard. How do you endure it?”
Tai Tong replied, “I am fortunate to be able to preserve my true nature, to safeguard my spirit and cultivate inner harmony. I do not exhaust my vital energy by anxiously scrambling for worldly affairs. Having eradicated all selfish desires, I am tranquil and content; I do not feel that my life is hard. But you, sir, who must soothe and govern the people, staying vigilant day and night for fear of making a single mistake – do you not find that to be the true hardship?” The Inspector then took his leave. Tai Tong returned to his secluded life and never saw the official again for the rest of his days.
Note
Daoist hermit Tai Tong lived in a mountain cave gathering herbs and rejected official summons. When a governor pitied his harsh life, Tai argued the official’s endless political worries were real suffering, then secluded himself and never met the governor again.
Tai Tong:
A quintessential Daoist hermit of the Eastern Han dynasty. His choice to live in a self-carved cave and gather herbs represents the ultimate Daoist pursuit of returning to nature and achieving absolute self-sufficiency, far removed from the artificial constructs of society.
Dates and Chestnuts as a Gift:
In ancient Chinese etiquette, bringing specific gifts was highly symbolic. Dates and chestnuts were traditional tokens of respect offered by inferiors to superiors, or by visitors to recluses. The Inspector’s use of this gift shows that he approached Tai Tong with profound deference, acknowledging the hermit’s moral superiority despite his own high political rank.
Preserving True Nature and Cultivating Harmony:
This phrase encapsulates core Daoist philosophy. It reflects the belief that human beings are born with a pure, uncorrupted nature. By eliminating worldly desires and avoiding the anxieties of politics, a sage can preserve their vital essence and achieve spiritual and physical harmony.
The Reversal of “Hardship”:
This dialogue is the philosophical climax of the passage. It brilliantly subverts the conventional worldview. While the political elite views the hermit’s physical poverty as “suffering,” the hermit views the official’s mental exhaustion and constant anxiety as the true “suffering.” It is a profound critique of the psychological toll of political power.
Never Seeing Him Again:
This ultimate severing of ties reinforces the hermit’s absolute boundary. Having delivered his philosophical truth, Tai Tong has no further need for worldly validation or political discourse. He completely withdraws back into the Dao.
台佟字孝威，魏郡邺人也。不仕，隐武安山中峰，凿穴而居，采药自业。建初中，州辟不就。魏郡刺史执枣栗为贽见佟，语良久，刺史曰：“孝威居身如此，甚苦。如何？”佟曰：“佟幸得保终正性，存神养和，不屏营於世事，以劳其精，除可欲之志，恬淡自得，不苦也。如明使君绥抚牧养，夕惕匪忒，反不苦耶？”遂去隐逸，终身不见。
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