Song Xian, a scholar of the late Western Jin Dynasty, was a man of few words who kept to himself. He retreated to the southern mountains of Jiuquan to study the classics like the *Analects*, *Spring and Autumn Annals*, and the *Book of Songs*. Known for his integrity and learning, over three thousand students sought him as their teacher. Local officials repeatedly invited him to take up government posts, but he steadfastly refused.
Prefect Yang Xuan admired Song Xian as a worthy talent. He had a portrait of Song Xian painted and hung in his room, and every time he entered or left, he would respectfully gaze at it. Once, looking at the portrait and thinking of the man, Yang Xuan wrote a poem: "What stone serves as your pillow? What stream do you use to rinse your mouth? As for you, I cannot see your form, nor seek your name!"
Governor Ma Ji had long admired the reclusive scholar Song Xian's reputation. Determined to recruit him, Ma Ji rode out with a full ceremonial procession—drums beating, gongs clanging—to Song Xian's secluded dwelling. Song Xian flatly refused to open the gate. After waiting a long time outside, Ma Ji finally turned back, sighing, "I can hear of your great name and admire your virtue, but I cannot see you. Now I truly understand you are a dragon among men!" With that, he carved a poem onto the stone wall before leaving.
A hundred-zhang cinnabar cliff, a ten-thousand-xun green wall.
The dense and wondrous forest, lush and verdant, resembled the legendary Denglin.
His character is as pure as jade, a treasure of the nation.
The room is near, but the person is far away—truly, this weighs on my heart.
The general idea is: A hundred-zhang red cliff, green walls piercing the clouds, lush trees like the Deng Forest from Kuafu's staff. You are the pillar of the state; I see your house but not you, which truly grieves me. Later, the idiom "Dragon Among Men" came to describe an outstanding person.
Source: *Book of Jin*, "Biography of Song Xian"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "人中之龙" came to describe an outstanding person.