Note 142.
But for thirteen years it was so I lived.
The text reads "three ten," which is the way the Chinese say "thirty," but native commentaries state that it should read "ten three," or thirteen. This is far more in accordance with the facts of T'ao's life. He lived A.D. 365-427, and although he became an official, he soon resigned his post, saying that he "could not crook the hinges of his back for five pecks of rice a day." (See Note 54.)
Note 143.
Mine is a little property of ten mou or so.
A mou is a Chinese land measurement which is equal to about one-sixth of an acre.
Note 144.
A very famous song written during the Liang Dynasty (A.D. 502-557). Allusions to it always suggest homesickness.