A man is sleeping laying his head on a pile of books. Around him is an unrolled scroll, and a fan and peony flowers are arranged in a basket at the front. A butterfly flutters above him. This painting themed on the parable of Chuang Chou, a Chinese philosopher, who becomes a butterfly in his dream and wonders as to whether he is a man dreaming he is a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of being a man.