Lin Ming-te also notes that New Year's scrolls can cover a huge range of topics, but that the best scrolls say something about one's family traditions and the personality of the master of head of household. Ideally these scrolls express themselves in a deliberately oblique manner, as overt statements are generally viewed as crass.
林明德強調，春聯對不同人事意義雖異，但好聯總要能呈現家風、主人性格，又要「意在言外」，寫得太露骨便俗氣了。