Exaggerated forms, such as generalization and hyperbole as well as rich imagination, are employed in painting to display painters' feelings. Therefore, it is relatively difficult to make a copy of a water-ink painting.

By Su Hanchen, Song Dynasty

Anyway, there is no absolute line between the two schools. No matter which school they belonged to, painters could and did compromise a little and learn from each other, giving rise to a mixed style including elements from both.

 A perfect integration of poetry,calligraphy, painting andseal engraving

Traditional Chinese paintings perfectly integrate poetry, calligraphy, painting, andsealengraving, all of which are necessary components. As Chinese is an ideographic language system, most of theChinese charactersin ancient times were produced with concise strokes according to the shapes or meanings of the signified, which naturally generated an artistic form of calligraphy closely connected with painting.