The Esoteric Meaning of the Wenshi True Classic 文始真经言外旨

Composed by Chen Xianwei.

It was roughly completed in the second year of Baoyou during the reign of Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1254). The original text was in three volumes, and later divided into nine volumes, included in the Yujue (Jade Commentary) category of the Dongshen Section of the Daozang (Daoist Canon).

The Esoteric Meaning of the Wenshi True Classic

At the beginning of the book, there is a preface written by Wang Yi, a disciple of Chen Xianwei, which claims that this work "either comprehends the purport through the words, or rephrases to clarify the scripture, or uses metaphors to reveal profound truths, or employs paradoxical expressions to manifest hidden mysteries; there are implied meanings beneath the lines, leaked insights beyond the words, intentions indicated before the utterance, and subtle truths revealed outside the implication. For the most part, it deals with the implied meanings of the Guanyinzi (Book of Guan Yin). Therefore, it gathers these abundant contents and names the work Yanwai Zhi (Implied Meanings)".

This is the stylistic rule of the book.

The annotations integrate the thoughts of the three teachings—Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism—and also touch upon the theory of internal alchemy.