This chapter's epigraph comes from a poem by a young man named Xie Ming, who is a member of the Divine Feathers sect. The poem is entitled "Disgrace." The young man wants to humiliate himself by competing with the other members of the sect, but he is unable to do so because he does not understand the meaning of the word "disgrace." He also does not know how to express his emotions in a way that does not offend the others. The other scholars in the hall are shocked at the young man's inability to comprehend the meaning behind the poem. They are also shocked at his lack of interest in the subject of the poem, which is the comprehension of "dao intent."