未能免俗 — “To be unable to avoid conforming to common social customs or practices”

During the Wei-Jin period, there were seven famous scholars: Ji Kang, Ruan Ji, Ruan Xian, Shan Tao, Xiang Xiu, Wang Rong, and Liu Jian. These seven often gathered to drink and play in a large bamboo grove near Ji Kang's home, earning them the title "The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove."

These seven sages all had some eccentricities in their lives: they were unrestrained, paying little attention to their appearance or status. Take Ruan Ji, for instance. When he got drunk, he would simply lie on the ground, regardless of its cleanliness, often remaining unconscious for several days. He heard that the infantry colonel's office brewed excellent wine, so he requested to serve there, just to be able to drink to his heart's content. Thus, people also called him "Ruan, the Infantry Colonel" based on his official title.

Ruan Xian was Ruan Ji's nephew. Both uncle and nephew were also fond of music. Ji Kang was skilled at playing the qin and singing, while Ruan Xian played the pipa exceptionally well and was proficient in musical theory. He particularly loved a plucked string instrument similar to a moon guitar, which was said to have been invented by him, hence it was later named "Ruan Xian" and often shortened to "Ruan."

The Ruan clan lived on the same street. Ruan Ji and Ruan Xian, the uncle and nephew, lived on the south side of the street, while other Ruan brothers lived on the north side. The uncle and nephew were from impoverished families, whereas most of the Ruan brothers on the north side were wealthy. However, Ruan Ji and Ruan Xian did not let their poverty diminish their spirit. According to local custom, every year on the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, every household would turn out all their clothes and belongings to air them out, preventing mildew and insect damage. The wealthy Ruan brothers on the north side wore silks and satins, so the clothes they hung out shone brilliantly, dazzling onlookers. Ruan Xian saw the opposite courtyard filled with clothes and said to his uncle, "We should also take out some clothes to sunbathe!" However, after searching, they couldn't find many clothes to air. So, they took a pair of coarse cloth ox-nose trousers, strung them on a bamboo pole, and hung them high in their courtyard. A neighbor saw this and remarked to Ruan Xian, "You might as well not air them at all! These clothes look too shabby!"

Ruan Xian replied, "This is a custom, and we cannot help but follow it!" And so he let them hang there to air.