Short past tense sentence describing immediate reaction.
On Zhang Xun's birthday, the great scholar Gu Hongming presented him with a couplet: "荷尽已无擎雨盖，菊残犹有傲霜技."
Later, when discussing this with Hu Shi, Gu revealed that "擎雨盖" (rain-shielding canopy) referred to the official hats of the Qing Dynasty, while "傲霜技" (frost-defying skill) referred to the long queues that both he and Zhang Xun wore.
Gu Hongming was a man of contradictions, proficient in English literature yet an advocate for traditional Confucian etiquette.
During his tenure as a professor at Peking University, he once explained the character "妾" (concubine) to two American ladies, saying: "'妾' consists of '立' (stand) and '女' (woman); it implies that when a man is weary, he leans upon the woman."
The two ladies immediately countered: "Then when a woman is weary, why can't she lean upon a man?"
Gu Hongming replied calmly, "Have you ever seen one teapot paired with four teacups? How could there be four teapots for a single teacup? The logic is the same."
张勋生日时，大学者辜鸿铭送给他一副对联，写道：“荷尽已无擎雨盖，菊残犹有傲霜技。”
后来，辜鸿铭在与胡适谈及此事时透露，“擎雨盖”指的是清朝的大帽子，而“傲霜技”则指代他和张勋都留着的长辫子。
辜鸿铭既精通英国文学，又在思想上鼓吹封建礼教。
他在担任北大教授期间，曾向两位美国女士讲解“妾”字的含义，称：“‘妾’字，即立女；男人疲倦时，手靠其女也。”
这两位美国女士听后反驳道：“那女子疲倦时，为什么不可以将手靠在男人身上呢？”
辜鸿铭从容地辩解道：“你见过一个茶壶配四个茶杯的，哪有四个茶壶配一个茶杯的呢？其理相同。”