The Seclusion Style and the View of Official Seclusion in the Song Dynasty

This paper is intended to make clear the relevance between being a hermit and officials, with the concept that officials desired to withdraw from society and live in solitude and the complex to desire to live in seclusion in Song Dynasty as the theme. In this text, we’ll get to understand: in which manner of living in solitude, the officials and living in solitude, which is contrary with each other, appeared; what is the recognition in the officials and living in solitude in the past; and which characteristics the complex and concept of living in solitude showed. And, for that, ‘Doer(subject)- Activities(creating work)-psychology(sentiment)’ is analyzed in the range of the manner of living solitude, conception of the officials and living in solitude, and the sentiment and psychology of the hermits, concerning the manner of living solitude of the hermits and scholar-bureaucrat in ‘History of Song Dynasty·Hermit Biography’. In such composition, the transition and characteristics of the manner of living in solitude, the hermit poetry and their sentiment, and psychology and conception that officials withdrew from society and lived in solitude, is analyzed. First, the changes and background of the manner of living in solitude in Song Dynasty is observed. Second, through creation of hermit poetry, the sentiment of the hermits and the characteristics of the hermit poetry is analyzed. Third, through which, the sentiment of hermits, their psychology and conception is educed. Through above process of analysis, we could get to understand the characteristics of recluse culture in Song Dynasty where the subject, manner, sentiment, conception that officials withdrew from society and lived in solitude is combined. Especially, in the hermit poetry by the hermits and scholar-bureaucrat in ‘History of Song Dynasty ·Hermit Biography’, a recluse sentiment where the Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism were mixed commonly together, and the consciousness of concurring spirit was represented, and further, they aspired after fading from their memory of body and thinking. Finally, all these factors have made up recluse sentiment and conception that officials withdrew from society and lived in solitude.