Record of Ranks of the Mysterious玄品录

Author / transmission

Zhang Tianyu (Zhang Yu, 1283–1350)

Period

Yuan · Written by the Maoshan Daoist Zhang Yu (styled Boyu, sobriquets Jugu Waishi and Zhenjuzi) of the Yuan dynasty, completed in the late Yuan period; five scrolls.

Canon division

Dongzhen Section, Records and Biographies Category

Collected in

Zhengtong Daozang, Dongzhen section, Biographical category

Category

Immortal Biographies

Fascicles

5 juan

Synopsis

The Record of Ranks of the Mysterious (Xuanpin lu), in five scrolls, was compiled by the celebrated Yuan-dynasty Daoist and poet-calligrapher Zhang Yu, who arranges Daoist figures by category rather than by period: divided into sections such as 'transformation through the Dao,' 'mysterious learning,' 'reclusion,' 'cultivation and nourishment,' 'talismans and registers,' and 'methods,' it groups figures accordingly from Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Liezi down through the Han, Wei, Six Dynasties, Tang, and Song, each with a concise biography and occasional critical comment. The work's distinguishing feature is its classificatory consciousness — rather than conflating 'immortals' with ordinary 'persons,' it classifies figures by their path of cultivation and cultural role, reflecting the organizing perspective of the literati-Daoists of the Yuan toward the Daoist tradition. Zhang Yu himself associated with such figures as Zhao Mengfu and Yang Weizhen, and his literati sensibility is likewise evident in his selection of material and prose style. As a Yuan-dynasty collection of immortal biographies distinct from the Comprehensive Mirror of Immortals Who Embodied the Dao through the Ages, the Record of Ranks of the Mysterious, though modest in length, offers a different classificatory framework and is a useful text for examining the categorization of Daoist knowledge in the Yuan dynasty.

Key Ideas

• Arranges figures by category rather than by period
• Sections on transformation through the Dao, mysterious learning, reclusion, cultivation, talismans, and methods
• Reflects the organizing perspective of literati-Daoists of the Yuan
• Concise biographies with occasional critical comment
• A Yuan-dynasty collection of immortal biographies alongside the Comprehensive Mirror of Immortals

Structure

Five scrolls, arranged by category, with a number of brief biographies in each.

Editions

• Zhengtong Daozang edition
• Zhonghua Daozang edition

Full Text & Online Resources

• CTEXT Search
• Wikipedia: Zhang Yu

Related scriptures

Related figures