An Aesop: As they say, the test of good manners is how you deal with people with bad manners.
Damned by Faint Praise: When Tai-Tai meets her Aunt Tai-Yi-Po, the former tries to come up with words that won't insult the latter's very elderly and very wrinkly appearance. The only thing she can come up with is she looks so "healthy". Thankfully, it flies over Tai-Yi-Po that her niece has little else to say.
Fat Bastard: Gongji not only has a mean bone in his body, but he has a round figure to match his spoiled personality.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gongji is one of the rudest, meanest, most spoiled characters on the show. However, at the end of the day, he acknowledges that Sagwa didn't have to get in trouble too, and even tells her that was admirable on her part.
Kick the Dog: Gongji knows well Sagwa hasn't had any food during her visit to his owner's home. So when a hungry Sagwa kindly asks if she can have some of his shrimp, he smugly eats it up and sarcastically remarks "Oh where are my manners."
Pet the Dog: Gongji is surprised that Sagwa willingly shared the blame of ruining the rooster pillow, meaning both of them will be fairly punished to have no supper tonight. She didn't have to, but Sagwa chose to. Gongji still calls her "Ink Face", but there's a playful inflection behind it this time. What's more, it implies that Gongji has new-found respect for his guest.
Sweet and Sour Grapes: Like Gongji, Sagwa was supposed to be punished with no supper. But Mama and Baba Miao were so proud of their daughter's sense of integrity that they reward her with some food they secretly gift to her.
Sympathy for the Devil: Sagwa tries to tell herself that Gongji deserves to be punished by his owner for ruining his owner's rooster pillow, and have no supper tonight. But she can't help but imagine a worst case scenario where his owner starves him or even kick him out of her home. All the same, Sagwa feels it would be harsh to let someone (even one who has treated her poorly) take the brunt of the blame, as she too had a part to play in ruining the pillow.
What You Are in the Dark: Sagwa sees Gongji being entirely blamed for destroying the rooster pillow his owner Tai-Yi-Po made for him. Tai-Yi-Po punishes that Gongji shall have no supper tonight. Now Sagwa didn't have to tell anyone she had a part in destroying the pillow, and could've let Gongji take the blame, given he treated her rudely during their entire visit. But feeling sympathy for him, Sagwa willingly gives herself away when she reveals the tell-tale thread tangled on her foot.
Master of Mistakes consists of:
An Aesop: Failure is not an excuse to give up your passion. Instead, learn from your mistakes and use the experience to make yourself stronger.
Character Development: The Magistrate's daughters so quickly give up the lessons on the very talents they each wanted to learn, just because they each kept making mistakes. But later on, with the Master of Nothing's help, his mistakes encourage them to learn from their own mistakes and teach him in turn.
Hell Is That Noise: Sagwa and Sheegwa are unfortunate enough to hear the Master of Nothing's bad music on the lute.
Jack of All Trades: The Master of Everything is rumored to be this. Ironically, he cheerily claims that he's the master of so many things that he's essentially the "Master of Nothing".
Mistakes Are Not the End of the World: What the Master of Nothing ends up teaching the Magistrate's daughters. Given they previously despaired that they would never be good at their respective talents, the Master demonstrates that mistakes are actually an opportunity to learn and grow.
Obfuscating Stupidity: It's implied the Master of Nothing only pretends that he's bad at the things he was supposed to teach the Magistrate's daughters. He knowingly makes all the mistakes the daughters previously made (like spinning the clay wheel too fast, or cooking dumplings without a lettuce leaf), as if he knew how to do it badly.
Trickster Mentor: The Master of Nothing. He's secretly good at many talents, but when he's teaching a student (normally those who gave up over their mistakes), he pretends he's confidentally bad at that talent. This is meant to encourage his students to try their best and learn from their mistakes.
