Yang Xiong, also known as Yang Ziyun, was a native of Chengdu in Shu Commandery, living through the reigns of Emperors Cheng, Ai, and Ping of the Western Han into Wang Mang's Xin Dynasty. A frank and easygoing man who cared little for formalities, he had a slight stutter and could not speak quickly, but he was deeply devoted to learning and passionate about rhapsodies, composing many famous works that have been passed down through the ages, such as "The Rhapsody on the Feather Hunt" and "Against the Sorrow of Qu Yuan."
Yang Xiong's ancestor Yang Ji served as the governor of Lujiang during the Western Han Dynasty. To escape enemies, he traveled up the Yangtze River and settled in Pi, south of Mount Min, with just one hundred mu of land and a single house, living by farming, mulberry planting, and silkworm raising. The Yang family passed down through five generations with only one son each, leaving them with few members, little influence, and great hardship—"family assets not exceeding ten gold pieces, with not even a single dan of grain stored." Yet Yang Xiong was remarkably carefree, never troubled by poverty or low status, nor did he chase fame or fortune; he devoted himself entirely to scholarship. He would never pursue wealth or power if it went against his principles.
In his forties, the scholar Yang Xiong traveled from Shu to the capital, where Grand Minister Wang Yin valued his talents, allowing him to join the emperor on hunts and present the "Hunting Rhapsody." The emperor appointed him as a Gentleman at the Yellow Gate, a rank shared with Liu Xin (son of Liu Xiang) and Wang Mang. By Emperor Ai's early years, Dong Xian also held this post. Later, Dong Xian and Wang Mang rose to the "Three Dukes," wielding immense power, yet Yang Xiong served three emperors—Cheng, Ai, and Ping—without promotion. Even after Wang Mang usurped the throne and many flattered him for titles, Yang Xiong remained unchanged, only becoming a Senior Grand Master due to seniority. He lived in poverty, his home quiet, respected only by Liu Xin and Fan Qun. Yang Xiong died at seventy-one, and his student Hou Ba built his grave and mourned for three years.
"Home without a single dan of grain" means having no food stored at home, later used to describe extreme poverty.
Source: *Book of Han*, "Biography of Yang Xiong"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "家无儋石" came to describe extreme poverty.