According to Wong: "Hou Hsiao-hsien stresses the whole and has a deep sympathy for the humanity of his characters. Edward Yang, on the other hand, isn't always completely sympathetic towards his characters and sometimes even seems to hate the world.
「侯孝賢重視整體，對人性有很濃厚的同情心，楊德昌並不完全同情筆下的角色，甚至有恨世的意味。