Zhang Sanfeng's works are abundant, and his Direct Talks on Mystery, Zen Songs, Mysterious Articles and Rootless Trees were compiled by Li in Qing Dynasty. This is the complete works of Mr Zhang Sanfeng. Many of these chapters are highly praised by later generations. However, Zhang Sanfeng's masterpiece should be called the twenty-four Dan characters in Rootless Tree.
For thousands of years, Taoist theory has been mysterious and obscure, which can not be widely accepted by the society, thus hindering the in-depth spread of Taoism. Zhang Sanfeng used the genre of lyrics and catchwords to turn metaphysics into a well-known lyric "Rootless Tree". The Rootless Tree consists of 24 songs, including the theory of cultivating truth of Zhang Sanfeng's Hermit School and its subsequent practice.
Personality dispute
There are many different records and statements about Zhang Sanfeng's native place. The existing inscription "Relics of Zhang Sanfeng" in the sixth year of Tianshun in the Ming Dynasty (1462) in Jintaiguan, Baoji contains: "A true fairy was born in Baoji, Shaanxi." This is also the earliest historical record of Zhang Sanfeng's native place. The author of the inscription, Zhang Yonglong, was a senior official in the early Ming Dynasty. He used to work in Shaanxi, and three generations had friendship with Zhang Sanfeng. Therefore, his statement has high credibility, which is widely quoted by later generations.
In the ninth year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (1473), Fu Yao wrote Qingxi's idle pen, and Hongzhi's eight years (1495), Huang Yu wrote the old notes of Shuanghuai, Shen Lu wrote the random pen of Yutang, and Shen Defu wrote Wanli Wild Collection, which also contained: "Baoji people are a cloud." In the thirty-eighth year of Wanli (16 10), Chen Ji Shi also recorded "Baoji people", while the Shaanxi Tongzhi compiled by Wang Daoheng and Feng Congwu talked about "jujube forest miscellaneous": "According to its book, there is a cloud: Baoji.
In the eighteenth year of Shunzhi (166 1), Zhang Junzhe and Tian Wenjing compiled Shaanxi Tongzhi and Henan Tongzhi, which contained "or Yunbaoji people". The Records of Baoji County compiled by Deng Mengqin and others and some local chronicles of the Qing Dynasty: "Zhang Sanfeng is from Baoji." In addition, there are sayings of Shatuo, Yizhou, Liaoyang, Nanzhao, Minxian, Yangcheng, Tianmu, Pingyang, Ping Huang and Jinling.
There are different opinions about Zhang Sanfeng's native place, but only Baoji in Shaanxi and Yizhou in Liaodong are convincing. In contrast, Shaanxi Baoji said that there are many historical records, which is the mainstream view. Today, most scholars tend to say that Zhang Sanfeng was born in Yizhou, Liaodong (now Fuxin, Liaoning) in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Zhang Sanfeng