The present essay is divided into two sections. The first cites a variety of examples of early Yuan to Yuan-Ming transitional painting inscription s and colophons. These are divided into four categories: Reflections of I min Emotion, Chants on Eremitic Lifestyle, Extensions of Expressive intent, and Hopes for the New Dynasty. The second section takes Li Shih-hsing's River Village on an Autumn Evening as an example, examining the authors and content of the twenty-nine colophons appended to the work. Discussion in this section also explores the relationship between these writings and the painting itself. The colophons found on Li's work were all written during the mid-Yuan dynasty. The first set of inscriptions were drafted around 1329, shortly after Li Shih-hsing's death, when his memory was still fresh in the authors' minds. Thus, in these colophons we perceive a sense of longing for a departed friend, and find reflections on the expressive intent of Li's work. Several of the inscriptions dwell on the theme of hermitage and can thus be placed in the second category 'Chants of Eremitic Lifestyle.' This theme is bolstered by the fate of Li-Shih-hsing himself, who died unexpectedly while in pursuit of an official career, thereby exemplifying the Confucian scholar's contradictory impulses toward government service and eremitism. The latter colophons pursue a different course, turning away from eremitic themes to descriptions of the painting and its stylistic elements. Although this shift leads to increasing divergence between the inscriptions and the painting itself, it nevertheless adds another dimension to the overall colophon content of the work.