According to a note Qi left on the painting, he created Browsing by Candlelight after returning home one night and seeing two mice on an open book under candlelight. He also wrote, "Men are asleep, while you are awake."

Qi painted scenes that he found interesting and thought-provoking in daily life that others might find common and overlook — or, like the mouse incident, would scream and jump away.

Before he became dedicated to painting, Qi made a living from carpentry, which often required him to carve relief patterns, requiring attention to detail. This skill was also visible when he utilized the gongbi style — a method of Chinese brushwork that delimits subjects with accuracy — to reanimate insects and paint wings with lively, detailed presentation.

Qi was also well-versed in the xieyi style — another method of Chinese brushwork marked by loose, semiabstract strokes and carefree expanses of layered colors.