In the fourth year of the Yuanjia 元嘉 reign （427），after Tao Yuanming’s 陶渊明 death， Yan Yanzhi颜延之 wrote “Epitaph for the Retired Scholar Jingjie”， in which he conferred the posthumous title of “Jingjie Zhengshi” 靖节征士 on Tao Yuanming. This paper， by taking this lo

ng-neglected posthumous title as its core subject of inquiry， combines with the historical materials of the Jin and Song dynasties to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth textual research and analysis on its formulation basis， stylistic problems， historical connotations and the hidden background behind it. The study finds that the two characters “Jingjie” strictly follow the norms of “Treatise on Posthumous Titles” 谥法解 in

Yi Zhoushu

逸周书， which accurately refines the spiritual core of Tao’s personality， namely his gentle joyfulness through his final days， his love for integrity， and his self-restraint， and elevates the hermit culture of the Wei and Jin dynasties from “indulgent seclusion” to the spiritual pursuit of “being content with poverty and adhering to morality”. However， the inclusion of “Zhengshi” 征士 in the posthumous title is rigid and far-fetched in stylistic terms， which is a case of redundant wording， and the compilation of

Wen Xuan

文选 also revised the title of the epitaph， which confirms the inappropriateness of this posthumous title. Both the titles of “Jin Zhengshi” and “Song Zhengshi” for Tao Yuanming are in line with historical facts， originating from his three refusals of imperial recruitment in the late Eastern Jin and Liu Song dynasties， and the title of “Jin Zhengshi” is more in line with his subjective aspiration of regarding himself as a Jin person. Yan Yanzhi’s elegy and Tao Yuanming’s poems and essays share a profound intertextual relationship， and the shaping of Tao’s image of farming by himself is the result of “following Tao’s aspiration”. The essential reason for the emergence of the posthumous title of “Jingjie Zhenshi” is that Yan Yanzhi and other friends intentionally concealed Tao Yuanming’s experience of serving in Huan Xuan’s桓玄 shogunate to protect Tao Yuanming and his family under the special political background of the Jin and Song dynasties. Tao Yuanming’s literary achievements are inseparable from his political experience. His “pastoral gard

en” is not a pure geographical space， but a spiritual utopia carrying his political ideals. His pastoral poems seemingly stay away from politics，but in fact permeate the shadow of politics everywhere. The strategy of “writing politics through seclusion” is the embodiment of his political accomplishment. To study Tao Yuanming， we must view his whole life comprehensively， and only in this way can we truly understand the spiritual connotation of his posthumous title and the unique value of his works in the history of Chinese literature and culture.