Ruan Ji
Ji/Xi Kang and Ruan Ji were close friends, famous for their skills in poetry, music, and "qingtan" ripostes. They helped to develop "xuanxue" "Neo-Daoism" and emphasized the importance of "ziran" "naturalness; spontaneity". Ji and Ruan were in a homosexual relationship with Shan Tao, another one of the Seven Worthies, who described their friendship as "stronger than metal and fragrant as orchids". Ji Kang and Ruan Ji were such close friends that "Jiruan" 嵇阮 was a popular portmanteau for the pair. Ji and Ruan both tried unsuccessfully to study zither and transcendental whistling with Sun Deng.