Huang Qiong of the Eastern Han Dynasty was repeatedly summoned for his talent but refused each time. Later, Emperor Shun issued an edict calling him, yet he still declined. A man named Li Gu wrote to persuade him:
If you truly wish to avoid official life, you could follow the ancient hermits Chao Fu and Xu You and hide away in the mountains—that would be fine. But if you want to serve the court and the people, now is the time. Throughout history, eras of peace have been rare, while times of chaos are common. If you insist on waiting for a sage ruler like Yao or Shun, then a man of ambition will never have a chance to shine. As the saying goes, 'Sharp things break easily; pure things are easily stained.' Few can appreciate the tune 'Spring Snow,' and a man of great fame often struggles to live up to his reputation. Not long ago, the hermit Fan Ying was summoned from Luyang to the capital. The court built an altar and feasted him as if he were a god, but soon rumors and slander spread everywhere—all because his fame was too great and expectations too high. Other summoned hermits fared no better, achieving nothing remarkable. As a result, public opinion now holds that most so-called virtuous recluses are merely deceiving the world for fame, lacking true talent. I hope you will take office, realize your ambitions, and prove the skeptics wrong with your achievements.
Impressed by his reasoning, Huang Qiong accepted the summons to the capital, where he was appointed as a court advisor. Before long, his outstanding performance earned him a promotion to imperial secretary, and he eventually rose to become the chief minister and grand commandant.
Later, the idiom "Reputation Hard to Match" came to describe someone whose great fame is difficult to fully live up to in reality.
Source: *Book of the Later Han*, "Biography of Huang Qiong"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "名高难副" came to describe how someone whose great fame is difficult to fully live up to in reality.