蔡邕
Cai Yong was born in a substantial local family in Yu County (), Chenliu Commandery (), which is around present-day Qi County, Kaifeng, Henan. The Cai family had a reputation of not having their territory divided for three generations. When his father Cai Leng () died, Cai Yong lived with his uncle Cai Zhi () while taking great care for his own mother for her last three years. When she died, Cai Yong became known for his arrangement of his mother's tomb. After that, Cai Yong studied composition, mathematics, astronomy, pitch-pipes and music under Hu Guang (), one of the highest-ranking officials in the Han imperial court.