The theme of the carving is to celebrate the "joy of studying". The man with a protruding hat is a scholar. One boy is carrying a lute and one, a Ru-yi. Lute is a symbol of a scholar gentleman, and Ru-yi is a symbol of health and happiness. The two panels depict romanticized scenes of a scholar traveling with two of his book boys. It was a tradition in the old days for a scholar from a good home to travel with his studying companions - the book boys carried the responsibilities of preparing a scholar's brushes, ink and paper, and taking care of a scholar's most important procession - the lute. There is an old Chinese saying which goes, "Traveling a thousand miles can broaden one's mind much better than studying a thousand scrolls of classics at home". Because of this, scholars in the old days made a special effort to travel and document their experiences. These panels celebrate the journey of a scholar.