Buddhist Sutras describe no physical features of Lohans, in contrast to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with their well-defined clothing, facial appearance and physical proportions, so Lohan portraits offered unlimited freedom and became a major genre in Chinese figure painting.
原來佛教經典中，並無羅漢長相特徵的記載，不像對佛、菩薩有一定的服飾、五官、身體比例的的敘述，因此羅漢畫的創作格外輕鬆自由，遂成為國畫人物畫中的重要題材之一。