When Cheng Chou-yu read Chang's poems, he commented on Chang's adroitness at creating images and putting words together. Chang, on the other hand, felt that while reading poetry was his greatest pleasure in life, he himself had no talent for writing it. Being honored as a "poet" left a bitter taste in his mouth.
鄭愁予讀張拓蕪的詩，說他是「製造意象、解合文字的能手」，張拓蕪卻自認人生最愛雖是讀詩，卻沒有寫詩的才華，對於「詩人」桂冠盡是苦澀的回味。