Shiy De-jinn indicated that the use of flowers as theme in painting is unique to Chinese art. In Western art, the flowers are often intentionally arranged in a vase; in Chinese art, however, the artist holds to natural representations and pursues the pleasures that nature herself has to offer.

Shiy De-jinn observed flowers with a modern eye and presented them from different sources; this gives the flowers in his paintings a new life as well as a new meaning. The narcissus, a bloom of late winter and early spring, was described as the Fairy of the Waves by the Chinese poet Huang Tingjian. In Shiy's painting, the narcissuses are clear and elegant, persevering and—as the name implies—self-centered. In his delicate composition, the harmony of the ink is transformed into a harmony of color; the narcissus is outlined with steady, strong brushstrokes that speak to their inner fullness and lush vitality of the bloom.

The work, “Narcissus” depicts the flowers, a symbol of purity and untainted by the mud they grow from, representing the ability to compassionately accept all life and rise above it. In the background, an odd rock pillar with ink color reminds the viewers of Eastern garden and contrasts the beauty of the fairy narcissus.