active 1st century Xian Guo

Remembered as Guo Xian, courtesy name Ziheng, he came from Runan Song in what is now Anhui. Traditional sources describe him as a learned and outspoken man who refused service under Wang Mang, later withdrew into hiding, and was eventually summoned under Emperor Guangwu of Han, serving as a boshi and then as guangluxun.

He is especially associated with the Dongmingji—also known as Han Wudi Bieguo Dongmingji—a collection of fantastic stories centered on Emperor Wu of Han. The text is traditionally attributed to him and is known for its short episodes about immortals, strange events, tribute from distant regions, and other marvels that blend courtly imagination with Daoist-flavored wonder.

Because he lived so early, much about his life remains uncertain, and modern reference works often present the authorship of the Dongmingji as a traditional attribution rather than a firmly provable fact. Even so, his name has endured through this vivid work, which helped preserve a taste for the curious, supernatural, and far-traveled in early Chinese literature.