Taoist documents serve as vital mediums of communication between humans and deities, featuring rigorous formats and numerous categories, each with specific usage contexts and sacred meanings.

Main Document Types & Functions:

• Memorials (表文): Submitted to supreme deities (e.g., Three Pure Ones, Jade Emperor) to express reverence and prayers—the highest level of divine communication.

• Petitions (疏文): Widely used in rituals, serving as conduits for devotees’ intentions, written on yellow or red paper based on the matter.

• Dispatches (牒文): Documents exchanged between deities or between humans and mid-level gods (e.g., city gods, underworld officials), categorized into memorials, submissions, and official dispatches.

• Notices (榜文): Posted on altars to inform devotees, lonely souls, and divine generals of ritual procedures and duties.

• Delivery Orders (关引): Serve as directories and proof of delivery for multiple documents, entrusted to divine messengers for accurate transmission.

• Sincere Statements (悃意): Handwritten memoranda by Taoist priests, recording devout intentions for rituals—written on red paper without envelopes to show utmost sincerity.

Taboos & Conventions:

• Avoid starting memorials with “subject” (臣) or “ghost” (鬼), and never expose life/death details or split names.

• Different deities, palaces, and matters require specific document formats and paper colors.

• Using seals, like official government stamps, symbolizes authority and authenticity, essential for submissions, talismans, and registers.

Cultural Significance:
The Taoist document system integrates ancient bureaucracy and religious ritual, reflecting a cosmology of “harmony between heaven and human.” Its rigorous structure and sacred cont