In this classic Chinese tale, Zhang falls in love with Yingying, a passion that grows deeper after she rejects him. Finally, they do begin an affair and Yingying falls as deeply in love with Zhang as he is with her. Yet in the end, he refuses to marry her because he fears his passion for her will lead to his downfall: in other words, he feels he loves her too much. He breaks off the relationship and explains to his friends the sad fate of great kings who loved too deeply:

Yet each was brought down by a single woman, his armies scattered, his body butchered. To this day they are the laughingstocks of the world. My character is not strong enough to withstand such spells, and it is for this reason that I suppress my passion.

One theme of the story is the importance of putting duty ahead of pleasure. Zhang feels he can't have both the love of his life as his wife and a successful career. Therefore, he chooses the career and marries a different woman.

Yet beneath that surface theme lurks another. After Zhang explains his decision:

All who were seated listening to this speech sighed deeply.

The "sighed deeply" suggests Zhang was wrong to think he had to make this either/or choice. Yet later, people say that having gotten too involved with Yingying, Zhang acted with "acumen," or good judgment, in getting free. The deeper theme or message of the story is for us as readers to question whether Zhang did the right thing or if he tragically threw away his happiness. The message is that we often have to make decisions not knowing if they are for the best.