This is one of the most famous poems by 陶渊明 (Tao Yuanming, also known as 陶潜, Tao Qian), a poet who was born in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, and lived from 365 to 427 AD. He served as low-ranking official, but left his post when he became too fed up with the infighting and corruption of the Jin dynasty court, saying that he would not “为五斗米折腰” (bow like a servant in return for five bushels of grain). He then spent the rest of his life on his farm, drinking and writing poetry.
His poems are famous for their references to nature and idealization of rural life (he’s sometimes called China’s most respected “pastoral poet”, 田园诗人). The poem 饮酒 is in total made up of 20 parts, but section 5, below, is the most famous. It’s about living a peaceful life removed from worldly concerns. You might hear people cite this line: “采菊东篱下,悠然见南山” (“picking chrysanthemums by the east fence, I glance up and see the beautiful scenery of the southern mountains”)
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饮酒 (其五)
陶渊明
结庐在人境,而无车马喧。
问君何能尔,心远地自偏。
采菊东篱下,悠然见南山。
山气日夕佳,飞鸟相与还。
此中有真意,欲辨已忘言。
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Translation into 现代汉语 (partly from 百度百科, partly from my textbook):
我在人很多的地方做了间小屋,可从没有烦神应酬车马喧闹。
试问我为什么能这样,那是因为只要存心远离尘世,便会觉得居住的地方也远离尘世了。
我在小屋东边篱笆那儿采摘菊花,不经意地看见了南山(即庐山)。
山上的景色在傍晚非常好,鸟儿们也结伴而归。
这当中有(人生的)真实意义,我想要言说却又无法用言语表达出来。


