The book Shi Shuo Xin Yu, which recorded important persons and events of the Wei-Jin era (220-420), describes him thus: "He was very handsome and carried himself with a splendid manner."
他原名潘岳，字安仁，生於魏晉時期。記載魏晉人物事蹟的《世說新語》描述潘安：「妙有姿容，好神情」。