From the delicate willows depicted in the idyllic scene, it seems evident that the subject is most likely the reclusive character immortalized by T'ao Yuan-ming in his piece, "Wu Liu Hsiensheng" (Mister Five Willows). This classic of ancient Chinese literature relates in concise, clear prose a man who doesn't know his name, only that beside his home are five willow trees.
如果從畫面的柳樹看來，此畫主人翁顯然更接近陶潛筆下的五柳先生﹘﹘先生不知何許人也，只知宅邊有五棵柳樹。