Yue Guang's father, Yue Fang, served as a strategist for Xiahou Xuan, a general of the Cao Wei kingdom. Whenever Xiahou Xuan left his official residence, he often noticed a young boy sitting alone under a large tree.
Out of curiosity, Xiahou Xuan invited the boy into his carriage and asked, "Whose child are you? How old are you? What were you thinking about under that tree?" Yue Guang replied, "My father is a strategist under your command, bearing the surname Yue; I will come of age in twelve years; beneath the shade, I was pondering what I do not yet know." Impressed, Xiahou Xuan later told Yue Fang, "Your son has an extraordinary bearing and refined speech—he will surely become a celebrated scholar. Though your family is not wealthy, if you nurture him well, he will undoubtedly elevate your family's name and legacy."
Yue Fang died young. Yue Guang, living as a stranger in Shanyang, was poor and unable to host guests, yet everyone in the area knew of his vast knowledge and skill in debate—whenever someone faced a puzzling question, his guidance would instantly clear their minds.
After arriving in Jin, Yue Guang was recognized by Grand Commandant Jia Chong, who recommended him for the post of Henan Yin. Unwilling to take the position, Yue Guang asked his close friend, the literary master Pan Yue, to draft his resignation letter. Pan Yue said, "First, tell me your reasons for declining, so I can write properly." Yue Guang briefly expressed his intent in a few hundred words, and Pan Yue crafted them into a brilliant, celebrated piece titled "Resignation from the Post of Henan Yin to the Grand Commandant." Everyone remarked, "Without Yue Guang's ideas, Pan Yue could not have written it; without Pan Yue's pen, Yue Guang's thoughts would not have shone—together, they created a masterpiece."
The celebrated scholar Wang Yan, known for his brilliant mind and towering pride, once said, "When I talk with others, I always find them too wordy. Why must one use so many words to express a single idea? But recently, I met Yue Guang, and after speaking with him, I realized that even I talk too much. The only person in the world who truly speaks concisely and to the point is Yue Guang."
The imperial tutor Wei Jie had a strange dream that haunted him day and night, leaving him lovesick, unable to eat or sleep, his spirit withered. When the scholar Yue Guang visited and learned the details, he told Wei Jie, "The eye sees no monster; the monster is born in the heart. If the heart holds no monster, how could illness arise?" Wei Jie instantly understood and recovered. He remarked, "Yue Guang's mind is as clear as water—sickness can never touch him."
Wei Jie's father praised Yue Guang even more, saying, "Yue Guang is a mirror of clarity among men. Seeing him feels as clear and bright as parting the clouds to see the blue sky." Later generations changed "parting clouds to see the sky" to "parting clouds to see the sun," describing the moment of sudden enlightenment and clarity of thought.
Source: *Book of Jin*, "Biography of Yue Guang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "拨云见日" came to describe how parting clouds to see the sky was changed to parting clouds to see the sun, describing the moment of sudden enlightenment and clarity of thought.