[citation needed] It is based on the zidishu play "The Butterfly Dream" written by Chunshuzhai.

[3] Fourth century BCE Zhuangzi (or Zhuang Zhou), one of the two defining figures of Chinese Taoism, based his philosophy on all things changing, and the perception of truth depending on the context under which it exists.

Operatic versions of Zhuangzi Tests His Wife have been performed on stage by the Peking Opera and others.

Most operatic versions end with Zhuangzi burying his wife after she commits suicide for being disloyal to her husband.

While Tian Shi still ultimately kills herself, Zhuangzi turns her and himself into butterflies and then, eventually, into dust.