Chen's figure painting style is highly idiosyncratic and shows the brushwork of a professional artist. This painting is a typical example: crisp, angular lines that resemble woodcut, with a deliberate simplicity that harks back to works of earlier artists. The draping of robes and sleeves reminds one of the linear drawing techniques of Gu Kaizhi (ca. 344 - 405) of Jin and Li Gonglin (1049 - 1106) of Song. The flamboyant air and form suggest the decorative purpose of the work. Flanking the two gentlemen sipping tea are plantain leaves and rockery, which are exquisitely done to enhance the figurative forms, while the few stems of lotus in the vase and the large area of negative space highlight the reclusive mood.