In the Taoist pantheon, there are several gods who appeared earlier than the Three Pure Ones and have a very high rank. The Three Officials of Heaven, Earth and Water are among them. They are the earliest gods worshipped by Taoism, also known as "Three Officials Emperor", "Three Yuan Emperor" and "Three Officials Emperor".
The belief in the Three Officials Emperor originated from the natural worship of heaven, earth and water by ancient Chinese ancestors. In primitive times, heaven, earth and water were necessary conditions for people's production and survival. Without them, human beings could not survive, so people often worshiped them with awe. For example, "Yili·Jinli": "burn firewood to sacrifice to heaven, sacrifice to mountains and rivers, sacrifice to rivers and sink, and sacrifice to earth and bury." Its annotation of burning firewood is: "rise, sink, bury" sacrificial ceremony, is the emperor. It is also the ceremony of the state's meeting and the alliance of the princes.Fu Jian of the Di tribe and Yao Chang of the Qiang tribe believed in the "Three Officials". When the Nanzhao King Yi Mouxun of the Tang Dynasty made an alliance with the Tang envoy, the "Alliance Text" began with "Please ask the Three Officials of Heaven, Earth and Water, the Five Mountains and Four Rivers, and the gods of the rivers and valleys to come down together as a permanent evidence.
In the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, eunuchs and relatives of the emperor were in power, the court and the country were dark, the people suffered from disasters, and the resistance was fierce. So Zhang Ling, a native of Fengyi, Pei State (now Fengxian County, Jiangsu), resigned from his official position and went to Sichuan to study Taoism in Heming Mountain (now in Dayi County, Sichuan). He also combined the primitive religious beliefs of the people, wrote Taoist books, and reformed the original witchcraft of the local ethnic group, creating the Five Pecks of Rice Sect. Because of its original It mainly uses Taoist magic to pray and fight ghosts, and uses talismans and water to cure people's illnesses, so it is called the Taoist talisman school. Because Taoists respect Zhang Ling as the Heavenly Master, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect is later called the "Heavenly Master Sect". On the one hand, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect respects Laozi as the founder of the sect, and teaches Laozi the "Tao Te Ching" during the ceremony of offering wine; on the other hand, it regards heaven, earth, and water as the Three Officials, believing that they can communicate with ghosts and gods and are responsible for the patients' prayers. The method of praying is mainly seen in the "Three Kingdoms·Biography of Zhang Lu" which quotes the book "Dianlue" saying: "Write the patient's name and the meaning of the confession, make three copies, one of which is raised to the sky and placed on the mountain, one is buried in the ground, and one is sunk in the water, which is called the Three Officials' Handwriting. "It is believed that the Three Officials can bless people, punish sins, and relieve disasters, that is, the Heavenly Official blesses, the Earthly Official punishes sins, and the Water Official relieves disasters. Later, when introducing the prefect Zhang Lu in the 59th chapter of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" by Luo Guanzhong of the Ming Dynasty, he described in detail how his ancestor Zhang Ling promoted the worship of the Three Officials. Thereafter, this belief prevailed until the Tang Dynasty. In May 1982, a golden tablet from the time of Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty was discovered on the top of Mount Songshan in Henan Province. The cellar inside was for begging for the "Three Officials and Nine Palaces" to atone for Wu Zetian's sins and pray for blessings. This is exactly the confirmation of her "prayer method" on the mountain from heaven. There is another saying that the Three Officials are Gold, Earth, and Water. Volume 46 of "Ancient and Modern Books Collection·Shenyi Dian" quoted "Limei Collection" as saying: "Gold is for life, and it observes the earth's qi; Earth is for completion, and it observes the earth's qi; Water is for transformation, and it observes the water's qi. ... Therefore, it is called the Three Officials. "If it is concretized, it means the three generals Tang, Ge and Zhou who guard the gate of heaven. According to "The Remaining News of Casting the Tripod", the three officials were all the remonstrances of King You of Zhou, and they were called the Three Generals of the Gate of Heaven. After their death, they became gods, and there were temples in many places. Some say that the three officials refer to Yao, Shun and Yu. "The Complete History of Gods and Immortals in All Dynasties" says that Yuanshi Tianzun: "He flew to the extreme of Taixu, took the nine qi of Shiyang, took the seven qi of Qingxu in Jiutu Dongyang, and took the five qi of Chenhao in Dongyang Fengze, and sucked them all into his mouth, and put them together with the Sanjiaotai. At the nine-nine period, he felt that they were integrated and connected, forming a holy body of spirit fetus. Just as the thunder of the full moon in the first month of spring, a baby was vomited out of his mouth, with a good appearance and bright light. He vomited out two more sons on the day of the full moon in the first month of autumn and the night of the full moon in the first month of winter. "These three sons are Yao, Shun and Yu, "all of whom have made great contributions to the heaven and earth, and are the models for the rulers and teachers of all ages." Later, Yao, Shun and Yu, who were transformed from Yuanshi Tianzun's breath, were named "Three Officials Emperors" by people.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Kou Qianzhi reformed the Tianshi Dao and rectified the "Three Zhangs' False Laws", so he combined the Three Officials with the Three Origins. "The Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Books·The Book of Supernatural Powers" Volume 46 quoted "Li Mei Collection" as saying: "The sky air is responsible for birth, the earth air is responsible for formation, and the water air is responsible for transformation, and they are used to govern the three realms. And the three times of the moon are observed. ... The Three Origins are in the Three Return Palaces, so they are called the Three Officials. "Therefore, the 15th day of the first lunar month in the Yi calendar is the Shangyuan, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month is the Zhongyuan, and the 15th day of the tenth lunar month is the Xiayuan. "The Great Commentary on the Divine Mantras and Wonderful Scriptures of the Great Sage Xuantian Zhenwu" Volume 1 "The Sutra of Cause and Effect": "On the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Lord of the Shangyuan Palace, the first-grade nine-qi blessing Heavenly Official Ziwei Great Emperor, comes down to the human world on that day to judge sins and blessings; on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, the Lord of the Zhongyuan Palace, the second-grade seven-qi sin-conferring Earthly Official Qingxu Great Emperor, comes down to the human world on that day to judge sins and blessings; on the 15th day of the tenth lunar month, the Lord of the Xiayuan Palace, the third-grade five-qi disaster-relieving Water Official Fusang Great Emperor, comes to the human world on that day to judge sins and blessings. "At the same time, Lu Xiujing of the Liu Song Dynasty also said that "the three officials are in charge of life, death, and suffering. The law is clear." It is combined with the "Three Pure Realms". "The Four Notes on the Yuanshi Wuliangduren Shangpin Miaojing" Volume 2 "Sanyuanpinjiejingshuo" says: "The Shangyuan Tianguan belongs to the Yuqing Realm, and it gathers the three qi of green, yellow, and white, and sets up the Shangyuan Three Palaces. The middle palace is called Yuanyang Qibao Zihui Palace, which is in charge of the Shangzhen Natural Jade Void Gaohuangdi, the emperors of the heavens, and the great gods. The Zhongyuan second-grade earth official belongs to the Shangqing Realm, and gathers the qi of Yuandong Hunling, and condenses the yellow clearness to form it. The middle palace is called Dongling Qingxu Palace, which is in charge of the Five Emperors, Five Mountains, and the immortals who have attained the Tao. The Xiayuan third-grade water official belongs to the Taiqing Realm, and it gathers the qi of Fengze and condenses the essence of Chenhao to form it. The middle palace is called Yangsu Dongquan Palace, and one is called Qinghua Fangzhu Palace. It is in charge of the water emperor Yanggu Shenwang, Jiujiang Shuifu Hebo immortals, and the great gods in the water and the immortal books. "It is also combined with the Taoist theory of primordial energy. Volume 56 of "Yunji Qixi" says: "After the separation of the stick and the chaos, there are the three primordial energies of heaven, earth and water, which create human relations and nourish all things.
At the same time, "Chongzeng Shoushen Ji" and "Sanjiao Shen Daquan" also record in detail the calendar, divine duties, and the objects and scope of the three officials. The book says: Chen Zidao married the three daughters of the Dragon King and gave birth to three sons. When they grew up, they all had great supernatural powers, boundless magic power, and infinite manifestations. Therefore, Yuanshi Tianzun appointed the eldest brother as the first-rank nine-qi celestial official Ziwei Emperor of Shangyuan, who was born from the qi of the original yang and formed the ultimate truth. He lived in the upper Ziwei Palace of the Seven Treasures of Yuanyang in Xuandu, and was in charge of the Emperor of Heaven, the God King, the Supreme Saint Gaozhen and the Three Luo Wanxiang Heavenly Lords. He appointed the second brother as the second-rank seven-qi earth official Qingxu Emperor of Zhongyuan, who lived in the palace of Dongkong Qingxu in the Nine Earths Wuji World, and was in charge of the Five Mountains Emperors and the twenty-four mountain rulers, the Nine Earth Emperors, the Four Dimensions and Eight Extremes Gods. The third brother was appointed as the third-rank five-qi water official Dongyin Emperor of Xiayuan, who lived in the Changle Palace of Jinling, and was in charge of the Nine Rivers Water Emperor, the Four Rivers Gods, the Twelve Creek Gods and the Three Rivers and Four Plum Gods. It is also said that every Sanyuan Day, the Three Officials would personally visit the altar to examine the ascension of the gods and immortals in the ten directions of the universe, the examination of human qualities, and the transformation of all kinds of creatures. The Heavenly Official blesses the Purple Star Emperor, the Earthly Official pardons the Green Spirit Emperor, and the Water Official relieves the troubles of the Sun Valley Emperor. They are the highest gods who dominate everything in the world of gods and spirits.
The birthday of Sanguan is Sanyuan Day, so since the Tang and Song Dynasties, Sanyuan Festival has been a Taoist celebration. During the Three Yuan Festival in the Tang Dynasty, the emperor ordered all states in the world to ban slaughter for three days, "ordering the people to stop slaughtering, fishing and hunting on that day." Because Tianguan was named the Ziwei Emperor who bestowed blessings, the people regarded him as the "god of good fortune", alongside the two gods of wealth and longevity. As for the scope of the three officials and gods, it has been narrowed since the Song and Ming Dynasties since the establishment of the Three Pure Ones and Four Royals. It is generally believed that they are in charge of the misfortunes and blessings of the world, the transfer of gods, and the cycle of life and death. However, folk beliefs are still very common. Since the Ming Dynasty, many Sanguan halls, Sanguan halls, Sanyuan nunneries, Sanguan temples, etc. have been built in various places. Every Three Yuan Festival, people go to temples to worship the three officials, repent of their sins, and pray for blessings and avoidance of disasters. At that time, people who believed in the Three Officials were required to abstain from eating meat and vegetables, which was called the "Three Official Sustainability". In the Qing Dynasty, the belief in the Three Officials was more common, and there were various New Year paintings and folk cherished paintings that said "the Heavenly Officials bless you". The heavenly official in the painting is wearing a red official uniform, a dragon robe and a jade belt. Holding Ruyi in his hand, he has five wisps of beard and a kind face, giving him a luxurious and luxurious temperament. In some pictures, the Heavenly Official is also lovingly carrying five boys, each holding a fairy peach, a pomegranate, a Buddha's hand, a spring plum and an auspicious carp lantern. In the past, people would post this kind of New Year pictures every New Year to pray for blessings and longevity from heavenly officials. Sometimes Tianguan is also regarded as the god of wealth. A kind of "God of Blessing and Wealth" was popular in the Qing Dynasty. In the middle of the picture, the heavenly official is sitting on the ingot holding Ruyi, with mountains of gold, silver, flowers, clouds and dragons and a big word "福" displayed above. The boy with the "Making Wealth" flag is at the bottom; the two immortals of Hehe, the official of recruiting wealth, and the official of profit and profit stand on both sides. The painting is full of blessings and wealth, expressing people's desire to be blessed by heavenly officials and wealthy ideals from the God of Wealth. In modern times, Tianguan, together with Yuanwai Mulang (meaning official salary) and Antarctic Immortal Weng, are collectively known as the three stars of fortune, wealth and longevity. During the Lunar New Year in the old days, three-star pictures were often hung in the hall, symbolizing the "three stars in the house" and showing good fortune, longevity and joy. It reflects people's common psychology of pursuing a better and happier life. Nowadays, "Samsung" images and "Samsung" handicrafts are popular in thousands of households and have become popular decorations. Nowadays, in temples in Taiwan, the Three Officials Emperor is generally called the Lord of the Three Realms, and it is said that many people worship him.
在道教神系中，有几位出现时间比三清尊神还早，且神阶很高的尊神，天、地、水三官就是其中之一，其是道教最早敬奉的神灵，亦称“三官大帝”，“三元大帝”，“三官帝君”。
三官大帝的信仰渊源于中国古代先民对天地水的自然崇拜。在原始时代，天、地、水是人们生产、生括的必要条件，没有它们，人类无法生存生括，因此人们常怀敬畏之心，虔诚地顶礼膜拜。如《仪礼·觐礼》：“祭天燔柴，祭山川陵升，祭川沉，祭地瘗。”其注疏燔柴为：“升、沉、瘗”祭礼，是天子。在国行会同之礼及诸侯之盟神也，晋氐族苻坚和羌族姚苌等笃信“三官”，唐南诏王异牟寻与唐使订盟时，《盟文》开始“上请天、地、水三官，五岳四渎，及管川谷诸神灵同请降临，永为证据。
东汉中后期，宦官外戚专权，朝野黑暗，人民灾难深重，反抗情绪激烈，于是沛国丰邑(今江苏丰县)人张陵弃官入川，学道于鹤鸣山(今四川大邑县境内)，并结台民间原始宗教信仰，著作道书，馥革当地民族原有的巫道，开创五斗米道。因其最初主要以道术祷祝和赳鬼，并以符水为人治病，故被称为道教符箓派，又因道教徒尊称张陵为天师，故五斗米道以后又称为“天师道”。五斗米道一方面尊老子为教祖，祭酒传授老子《道德经》；另一方面以天、地、水为三官，信其能通鬼神，主管病人请祷。祷请方法主要见于《三国志·张鲁传》注引《典略》书中说：“书写病人姓名，说服罪之意，作三通，其一上于天，著山上，其一埋于地；其一沉于水，谓之三官手书。”认为三官能为人赐福、赫罪、解厄，即天官赐福、地官赫罪、水官解厄。后来明朝的罗贯中《三国演义》第五十九目介绍太守张鲁时，就详细叙述了其祖张陵宣扬三官敬仰之事。此后这种信仰一直盛行到唐代。1982年5月，在河南嵩山顶上发现一通唐武则天时的金简，内窖即为乞求“三官九府”，为武则天兑罪祈福之用。这正是其一上于天，著山上“请祷法”的印证。另外有一种说法，说三官为金、土、水三官，《古今图书集成·神异典》卷四六引《蠡梅集》曰：“金为生，候地气，土为成，候地气，水为化，候水气。……故曰三官也。”若将其具体化则是守卫天门的唐、葛、周三将军，据《铸鼎余闻》记载：三官俱周幽王谏巨，号天门三将军，死后为神，各地多有庙。也有说三官指尧、舜、禹的，《历代神仙通鉴》云元始天尊：“复飞身到太虚极处，取始阳九气，在九土洞阳，取清虚七气，更于洞阳风泽中，取晨浩五气，总吸入口中，与三焦台于一处。九九之期，觉其中融台贯通，结成灵胎圣体。正当春一月月望之雷，从口中吐出婴孩，相好光明。又于秋一月望日，冬一月望夜，复吐出二子。”这三子就是尧、舜、禹，“皆天地莫大之功，为万世君师之法”。后来元始天尊吐气化成的尧、舜、禹被人们封“三官大帝”。
北魏时，寇谦之改革天师道，清整“三张伪法”，于是将三官与三元相结台。《古今图书集成·神异典》卷四六引《蠡梅集》日：“盖天气主生，地气主成，水气主化，用司于三界。而三时月之望候之。……三元正当三归宫，故曰三官也。”故以衣历的正月十五为上元，七月十五为中元，十月十五为下元。《太上说玄天大圣真武本传神咒妙经注》卷一《因缘经》：“正月十五上元宫主一品九炁赐福天官紫微大帝于是日，同下人间，校定罪福也；七月十五日中元宫主二品七炁赫罪地官清虚大帝于是日同出人间，校戒罪福也；十月十五日，下元宫主三品五炁解厄水官扶桑大帝于是日同到人间，校戒罪福也。”同时，刘宋陆修静还有“三官所执，生、死、苦考自明法曹”之说。又与“三清境相”结合，《元始无量度人上品妙经四注》卷二《三元品诫经说》：“上元天官隶玉清境，结青、黄、白三气，置上元三宫，其中宫名元阳七宝紫徽宫，总主上真自然玉虚高皇上帝，诸天帝王上圣大神。中元二品地官隶上清境，结元洞混灵之气，凝结黄之清而成，其中宫名洞灵清虚宫，总主五帝五岳诸真人及惜地神仙已得道者。下元三品水官隶太清境，结风泽之气，凝晨浩之精而成，其中宫号扬俗洞泉宫，一曰青华方诸宫，总水帝扬谷神王，九江水府河伯神仙，水中诸大神及仙箓簿籍。”还和道教元气说结合，《云笈七羲》卷五十六：“夫棍沌分后，有天地水三元之气，生成人伦，长养万物。
同时，《重增授神记》和《三教授神大全》中还详细记载了三官的纪历、神职及统辖对象和范围。书中称：陈子祷与龙王三女自结为室，生下三个儿子，长大成人后都神通广大，法力无边，显现无穷。于是元始天尊封老大为上元一品九气天官紫微大帝，即诞生之符始阳之气结成至真，住玄都元阳七宝紫微上宫，总主天帝神王上圣高真及三罗万象天君，封老二为中元二品七气地官清虚大帝，住九土无极世界恫空清虚之宫，总主五岳帝君并二十四治山，九地土皇、四维八极神君；封老三为下元三品五气水官洞阴大帝，住金灵长乐宫，总主九江水帝、四渎神君、十二溪真及三河四梅神君。并说每到三元之日，三官大帝便亲临神坛，考籍大千世界之内十方国土之中的神仙升临、人品考限与万类化生之事，天官赐福紫微帝君、地官赦罪青灵帝君、水官解厄暘谷帝君，俨然为神灵世界主宰一切的最高尊神。
三官的诞辰日即为三元日，因此从唐宋以来，三元节都是道教的大庆日子。唐代三元节由皇帝下敕天下诸州禁屠三日，“令百姓是日停宰杀渔猎”。由于天官被封为赐福紫微大帝，民间遂将其视为“福神”，与禄、寿二神并列。至于三官神的职掌范围，宋明以后又自于三清四御的确立，而有所缩小，一般认为掌管人间祸福、天神转迁、生死轮回诸事，但民间信仰仍然很普遍。明代以来，各地建有许多三官殿、三官堂、三元庵、三官庙等。每逢三元节，人们都要到庙宇祭拜三官，忏悔罪过，祈福免灾。时信仰三官的人都要禁荤食素，称为“三官素”。清代，三官信仰更为普遍，“天官赐福”的年画、民惜画，多种多样。画中天官，身著大红官服，龙袍玉带。手持如意，五绺虬须，面窖慈祥，一派雍窖华贵的气质。一些图中，天官还慈祥地携带五个童子，五童子手中各捧仙桃、石榴、佛手、春梅和吉庆鲤鱼灯。过去民间每逢新春时，皆贴这种年画，以求天官赐福长寿。有时天官还被当作财神。清代流行一种“赐福财神”，图中间为天官手执如意端坐元宝之上，金山、银山、花卉、云龙和一个大“福”字陈于上方，聚宝盆、手持“日日生财”旗子的童子位于下方；和合二仙和招财仙官、利市仙官立于两旁。画中充满着福气和财气，表达了人们渴望天官赐福、财神送财的富裕理想生括。近代，天官又和员外目郎(表官禄)、南极仙翁合称为福、禄、寿三星。旧时农历新年，三星图常挂于堂中，象征“三星在户”，显示多福、多寿、喜庆临门。反映了人们追求美好幸福生括的共同心理。如今“三星”图像和“三星”工艺品喜进千家万户，成了颇受欢迎的装饰品。现在台湾的庙宇中，一般称三官大帝为三界公，据说敬奉的人特别多。