Fluent in standard Chinese and steeped in the fiction and drama of the T'ang, Sung, Yuan, and Ming, Professor Idema has the bearing and character of the traditional gentleman and scholar.
鎮日孜孜於唐宋元明的小說戲曲中，加上一口標準流利的中文，伊維德的神貌行止，儼然是個沉穩篤實的傳統君子。