 She was named Feiyan or "Flying Swallow" after her slender figure and lithe dance steps, so light that she appeared to be quivering like a flower in the hand.Professional dancers of the period were of low social status and many entered the profession through poverty, although some such as Zhao Feiyan achieved higher status by becoming concubines.Another dancer was Wang Wengxu () who was forced to become a domestic singer-dancer but who later bore the future Emperor Xuan of Han.