During the Jin Dynasty, a man named Wang Changwen was known from a young age for his dedication to learning and literary talent, but his eccentric and unrestrained nature meant he never paid any attention to official summons from the local government.
Once, the prefecture summoned him to serve as a Biejia, an official who accompanied the governor on inspections by post carriage. Instead of accepting, he slipped away in plain clothes, vanishing without a trace, leaving the entire prefecture baffled as to his whereabouts.
The governor, realizing the man would not serve under official command, sent him off with generous gifts.
Later, Wang Changwen shut himself away, refusing all social contact, and devoted himself entirely to writing. Emulating the *Book of Changes*, he produced a four-volume work titled *The Scripture of Penetrating Mystery*. His contemporaries compared this book to Yang Xiong's *Supreme Mystery Classic* from the Han Dynasty.
During the Taikang era of Emperor Wu of Jin (Sima Yan), a devastating famine struck Sichuan. The government opened granaries to lend grain to the people. Wang Changwen, already struggling with poverty, borrowed heavily but found himself unable to repay. The local authorities sent him to the provincial capital for punishment.
Governor Xu Gan, knowing Wang Changwen's character well, chose not to demand repayment of his debts
Later, the idiom "uninhibited and unrestrained" came to describe someone who acts freely without constraints.
Source: *Book of Jin*, "Biography of Wang Changwen"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "放荡不羁" came to describe how someone acts freely without constraints.