The Wenzi (文子) is attributed to a disciple of Laozi known as Wenzi, also called Wen Zi or Tong Xuan (通玄). According to tradition, he was a student of Laozi during the Spring and Autumn period and a contemporary of Confucius. The text was listed in the Han Shu (汉书·艺文志) bibliography and was elevated to canonical status during the Tang dynasty, when Emperor Xuanzong bestowed upon it the title Tongxuan Zhenjing (通玄真經 — True Classic of Penetrating Mystery).

Philosophically, the Wenzi is deeply rooted in Huang-Lao Daoism (黄老道家), synthesizing the metaphysics of the Dao with practical principles of governance, self-cultivation, and cosmic harmony. Its ten chapters form a descending hierarchy from the primordial Dao (道原) through virtue (德), sincerity (精誠), natural order (自然), and finally to rites (禮) — demonstrating how each level of human culture relates to the ultimate source. The text draws extensively on the Tao Te Ching, often quoting or paraphrasing Laozi directly, while extending these teachings into the domains of statecraft and ethics.

The authenticity of the Wenzi as a pre-Qin text was long debated, but was confirmed by the discovery of bamboo-strip manuscripts at Dingzhou (定州漢墓竹簡) in 1973, which contained early versions of several chapters closely matching the received text. These findings established the Wenzi as a genuine early Taoist classic, predating or contemporary with the Huainanzi, which drew heavily upon it.