There are those who characterize Secret Love for the Peach Blossom Spring as a parable, while others say it is a Chan (Zen) -inspired story. For Stan Lai, however, it stands as something special in its own right, having a unique character: "No matter how many times it's revived, people can't think of anything they want to change in it!"
有人說《暗戀桃花源》是寓言；有人說《暗戀桃花源》是禪宗故事；對賴聲川來說，《暗戀桃花源》是特殊的，無論是戲劇的情感、形式都很特別，「每一次拿出來重演，都沒有辦法改動它，」賴聲川說。