His courtesy name was Shengbin (also written as Binzhi), and his pseudonym was Dongyingzi. A native of Jinyun, Chuzhou (now in Zhejiang Province). He studied Confucianism in his youth and was well-versed in classics and philosophy. During the reign of Tang Xiantong (860-1874), he took the examination of the Nine Classics (the nine classics of Confucianism) but failed. Feeling the ups and downs of the past and present, he entered Tiantai Mountain to study Taoism. When Emperor Xizong of Tang heard of his reputation, he summoned him to the imperial court, bestowed upon him a purple robe, and served as a scribe in the Linde Hall, serving as an internal offering. In the first year of Zhonghe (881), he followed Emperor Xizong into Sichuan. Seeing the decline of the Tang Dynasty, he stayed in Sichuan and did not return. Wang Jian established the former Shu and was appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue and the Duke of CAI, a prime minister, and was given the title of "Mr. Guangcheng". In his later years, he devoted himself to the cultivation of Taoism in Baiyunxi, Qingcheng Mountain. It is said that he passed away at the age of 85. He has achieved considerable success in his research on the "Tao Te Ching" by Laozi. He compared and examined over sixty previous annotators and interpreters of the "Tao Te Ching", summarized their main ideas, and classified them into "Five Ways" and "Five Schools", with particular emphasis on the "profound Way". He reconciled the thoughts of Confucianism and Taoism, believing that the main idea of Laozi's thought was "not to eliminate benevolence, righteousness, sages and wisdom, but to suppress and faking intelligence, so that the ruler, the subject, the father and the son can embrace simplicity and plainness, blend in with the Great harmony, restore the Dao and reach the state of loyalty and filial piety." He unified the teachings of Confucius and Mencius with Laozi's way. He highly praised Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's "Imperial Commentary on the Tao Te Ching", delved into its profound essence, and compiled the fifty-volume "Tao Te Ching: The Great Sage's Meaning", covering both "inner self-cultivation" and "outer governance of the country" without any omissions. It also advocated that "immortality and Taoism are not one", not adhering to one path, which was conducive to the dissemination and development of Taoism. His other works include "Guangcheng Ji", "Commentary on the Classic of Constant Purity and Tranquility by Laozi", "Complete Collection of the Great Examples of the Taoist School", "Yongcheng Ji Xianlu", and more than twenty others.