<p>Understand what kind of people Tao Yuanming was would help you understand his poem. </p>

<p>Tao Yuanming was a solitary. He spent his whole life to practice his creed －－ “不为五斗米折腰”，<em>Never bow down for five dous of rice</em>. He prefer to live far way from worldly people, especially shame on live for making money. 
He wish he can live alone in the wild, but he can't escape from living pressures, he need all kind of materials like other worldly people need. He had to live near other people although he really hate to live with them. But he can't stop yearning for that. So he wrote that </p>

<pre>
心遠地自偏 : 
让心（飘向我向往的）远方，（我住的)地方(也就)自然而然地（变成了那个我向往的）偏僻的远方。

Let heart roam to the faraway (which I wish to live), then I am there.
</pre>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-23T09:04:32.880Z
2016-05-23T14:07:41.027Z
2016-05-23T14:07:41.027Z
thinwa
<p>It means when you abandon worldly desires in pursuit of power, money, etc, which corresponds to 心远. You are consequently moving far away from the populous urban areas, which corresponds to 地自偏 and you will find more peace in your heart.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-23T05:44:37.920Z
2016-05-23T05:44:37.920Z
user4756766
<p>i would suggest:</p>

<p>if one's mind (心) is isolated (遠), one's physical location (地) would automatically (自) becomes remote (偏)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-22T15:32:37.300Z
2016-05-22T16:48:00.720Z
2016-05-22T16:48:00.720Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>I am reading this poem by Tao Yuanming. </p>

<p>飲酒詩二十首之五</p>

<p>結盧在人境</p>

<p>而無車馬喧</p>

<p>問君何能爾</p>

<p>心遠地自偏</p>

<p>採菊東籬下</p>

<p>悠然見南山</p>

<p>山氣日夕佳</p>

<p>飛鳥相與還</p>

<p>此還有真意</p>

<p>欲辨已忘言</p>

<p>I have a general idea, because I found the translation below on Wikipedia. But the most difficult line is 
心遠地自偏</p>

<p>Must I understand 偏 as a verb, that means secluding, like in 偏僻？ And 遠地 as 遠的地方？ Is the whole rest about creating a wilderness, then, added by the translation?</p>

<p>i built my hut in a zone of human habitation,</p>

<p>Yet near me there sounds no noise of horse or coach.</p>

<p>Would you know how that is possible?</p>

<p>A heart that is distant creates a wilderness round it.</p>

<p>I pluck chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge,</p>

<p>Then gaze long at the distant summer hills.</p>

<p>The mountain air is fresh at the dusk of day:</p>

<p>The flying birds two by two return.</p>

<p>In these things there lies a deep meaning;</p>

<p>Yet when we would express it, words suddenly fail us.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-26T02:31:29.947Z
In a more micro sense，as we don't need translation，its intone about 'we can isolate in the sound and fury '
user36440
<poetry>
Tao Yuanming Poem
# Tao Yuanming Poem

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-22)

I am reading this poem by Tao Yuanming.

飲酒詩二十首之五

結盧在人境

而無車馬喧

問君何能爾

心遠地自偏

採菊東籬下

悠然見南山

山氣日夕佳

飛鳥相與還

此還有真意

欲辨已忘言

I have a general idea, because I found the translation below on Wikipedia. But the most difficult line is
心遠地自偏

Must I understand 偏 as a verb, that means secluding, like in 偏僻？ And 遠地 as 遠的地方？ Is the whole rest about creating a wilderness, then, added by the translation?

i built my hut in a zone of human habitation,

Yet near me there sounds no noise of horse or coach.

Would you know how that is possible?

A heart that is distant creates a wilderness round it.

I pluck chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge,

Then gaze long at the distant summer hills.

The mountain air is fresh at the dusk of day:

The flying birds two by two return.

In these things there lies a deep meaning;

Yet when we would express it, words suddenly fail us.

**Tags:** poetry

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: In a more micro sense，as we don't need translation，its intone about 'we can isolate in the sound and fury '  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-05-22. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

i would suggest:

if one's mind (心) is isolated (遠), one's physical location (地) would automatically (自) becomes remote (偏)


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### Answer by username_2 on 2016-05-23. Score: 6

Understand what kind of people Tao Yuanming was would help you understand his poem.

Tao Yuanming was a solitary. He spent his whole life to practice his creed －－ “不为五斗米折腰”，*Never bow down for five dous of rice*. He prefer to live far way from worldly people, especially shame on live for making money.
He wish he can live alone in the wild, but he can't escape from living pressures, he need all kind of materials like other worldly people need. He had to live near other people although he really hate to live with them. But he can't stop yearning for that. So he wrote that

```

心遠地自偏 : 
让心（飘向我向往的）远方，（我住的)地方(也就)自然而然地（变成了那个我向往的）偏僻的远方。

Let heart roam to the faraway (which I wish to live), then I am there.

```


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### Answer by username_3 on 2016-05-23. Score: 0

It means when you abandon worldly desires in pursuit of power, money, etc, which corresponds to 心远. You are consequently moving far away from the populous urban areas, which corresponds to 地自偏 and you will find more peace in your heart.


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