During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, a brilliant young woman named Xie Daoyun was born into a prestigious family—her father was General Xie Yi, and her uncle was the renowned statesman Xie An. One snowy day, Xie An gathered his children and asked, "What does this swirling snow resemble?" His nephew Hu'er replied, "It's like salt scattered across the sky." But Xie Daoyun offered a more poetic comparison: "It's like willow catkins dancing in the wind." Impressed by her vivid imagery, Xie An laughed heartily, and her phrase became a timeless metaphor for snow. This story highlights the sharp wit and literary talent that made Xie Daoyun one of China's most celebrated female poets.
Before entering official service, Xie An had nearly twenty nephews and nieces. The eldest were over twenty, the youngest around ten. Among them, "Feng, Hu, Jie, and Mo" were considered the most talented youths of the Xie clan—Feng being Xie Shao, Hu being Xie Lang, Jie being Xie Xuan, and Mo being Xie Yan. Xie An loved engaging in lively discussions with his nephews and nieces, never bothering with formalities, and they felt free to speak their minds around him. Among the girls, his favorite was Xie Daoyun. She wrote the best poetry among her cousins, and whenever she composed a new piece, she would always ask her uncle to review and critique it.
Xie Daoyun was not only a master of poetry, calligraphy, and painting but also deeply skilled in the art of "pure conversation" (qingtan), a philosophical pursuit where even many accomplished men admitted defeat. At the time, a talented woman from the same commandery, Zhang Xuan's sister, married into the Gu family. When a nun compared the two, she remarked, "Xie Daoyun carries herself with a leisurely elegance, embodying the refined spirit of the Bamboo Grove sages; the Gu family's daughter-in-law has a pure heart, flawless as fine jade—she is the epitome of a gentlewoman's virtue."
Xie Daoyun's brilliance was already well-known in her time. She later married Wang Ningzhi, whose family was also a prestigious clan. Wang Ningzhi's father was the famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi, a close friend of Xie An's, often traveling, composing poetry, painting, and discussing philosophy together. However, the Wang family devoutly followed the Way of the Celestial Masters, and Wang Ningzhi was especially obsessed—spending his days writing, drawing talismans, and praying, with no sense of joy. Xie Daoyun grew up in a relaxed, harmonious extended family, where she was cheerful, spirited, and loved debate. Her lively nature clashed with her pedantic husband, making communication difficult. She was deeply dissatisfied with the marriage, and after it, she lost the carefree spirit of her maiden days.
Once, Xie Daoyun returned to her family home, visibly dejected. Her uncle Xie An, noticing her gloomy expression, asked with concern, "Your husband is a handsome man—why are you unhappy?" Xie Daoyun sighed and replied, "In our family, among the uncles there is you, and among the cousins there are Feng, Hu, Jie, and Mo—all so brilliant and refined. I never imagined that in all the world, there could be a man like him!" Unable to connect with her husband on a spiritual level, Xie Daoyun found no happiness in her marriage. Later, when her husband was killed during Sun En's Rebellion, she lived out her days as a widow in Kuaiji.
"The phrase 'Tian Rang Wang Lang' means 'there is actually such a man in the world.' Later, it was used to refer to a woman dissatisfied with the husband she married."
Source: *A New Account of the Tales of the World*, Chapter "Worthy Beauties"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "天壤王郎" came to describe a woman dissatisfied with the husband she married.