Zhengao (True Declarations) was compiled by Tao Hongjing, a renowned Taoist priest of the Southern Dynasties. It was roughly completed during the Tianjian era of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty (502–519).
According to the records in Old Book of Tang · Bibliographic Treatise and New Book of Tang · Bibliographic Treatise, the original version consisted of 10 volumes. The existing version in the Daozang (Taoist Canon) is divided into 20 volumes and included in the Taixuan Bu (Great Mystery Section).
As a key classic of the Shangqing School during the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties, this text is said to have originated in the 3rd year of the Xingning era of Emperor Ai of the Jin Dynasty (365). At that time, Lady Wei of Nanyue (Nanyue Wei Furen) and other true immortals of the Shangqing School descended to the mortal world. They transmitted various Shangqing scriptures, biographies of immortal sages, and miscellaneous matters related to cultivation to the Taoist priest Yang Xi. Yang Xi first transcribed these teachings in official script (lishu), and then passed them on to Xu Mi and his son Xu Xiang, who also made copies. Later, the Shangqing scriptures and secrets created by these three (Yang Xi, Xu Mi, and Xu Xiang) spread widely across the Jiangdong region, inevitably leading to a mixture of authentic and spurious content.
During the Song and Qi dynasties of the Southern Dynasties, the Taoist priest Gu Huan collected and organized the original manuscripts of Yang Xi and the Xu family, compiling them into Zhenji Jing (Scripture of Authentic Traces). However, this work still contained omissions and errors.
Tao Hongjing took Gu Huan’s Zhenji Jing as the base text, supplemented it with Shangqing scriptures and secrets he had collected from various places, as well as his own observations and experiences. He added, deleted, and annotated the content to compile the present Zhengao.
The title Zhengao ("True Declarations") comes from the fact that the Shangqing scriptures and secrets recorded in the text are falsely claimed to be oral teachings from true immortals.
The original text consists of 7 main sections:
- The first five sections (Yunti Xiang [Auspicious Symbols of Destiny], Zhenming Shou [Bestowal of True Destiny], Xiechang Qi [Harmonious Prosperous Era], Jishen Shu [Pivot of Examining Spirits], and Chanyou Wei [Elucidating the Profound]) are said to be "declarations" from true immortals during the lifetimes of the three (Yang, Xu Mi, Xu Xiang). They respectively record the meetings between various immortal sages and the three, exhortations to practice Taoism and seek immortality, explanations of fortune and misfortune, instructions on the essentials of Taoist techniques, descriptions of the wonders of immortal mountains and sacred caves, as well as the ranks and responsibilities of true immortals, and the names, duties, and clans of spirit officials in the ghost and gods realm.
- The sixth section, Wozhen Fu [Assisting in Grasping the True], compiles notes and correspondence exchanged by the three (Yang, Xu Mi, Xu Xiang) during their lifetimes.
- The seventh section, Yizhen Jian [Assisting in Examining the True], was written by Tao Hongjing himself. It outlines the structure and core ideas of Zhengao, details the compilation format, records in detail the origin and dissemination of the Shangqing Jing (Shangqing Scriptures) since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and provides biographical information about Yang Xi and the two Xus (Xu Mi and Xu Xiang), including their family backgrounds and life stories.
Zhengao is rich in citations, covering topics such as Taoist immortal beliefs, historical figures, doctrinal classics, and numerous techniques for preserving the spirit and nurturing life. It is a comprehensive work on the doctrines and history of the early Shangqing School. Later Taoism was deeply influenced by it, and many Taoist texts of subsequent dynasties quoted from this work.
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