尹喜

尹喜（？—？），字公度，一说为关尹。天水人，周灵王时为函谷关令。《史记·老子韩非列传第三》老子修道德，其学以自隐无名为务。居周久之，见周之衰，乃遂去。至关，关令尹喜曰：“子将隐矣，彊为我著书。”于是老子乃著书上下篇，言道德之意五千余言而去，莫知其所终。

刘向谓：“喜著书凡九篇，名关令子。”《汉书·艺文志》著录《关尹子》九篇，题周尹喜撰，已亡佚。

《庄子·天下篇》叙古之道术，以老子与关尹子并述。南北朝时《老子化胡经》记载尹喜与老子一同西去，在西域开创佛教以教化胡人。南北朝末期和唐代的楼观派，以及明清时以修炼气功为主的文始派俱以关尹子为宗祖。

《历世真仙体道通鉴》记载了尹喜受《道德经》的经过：楚康王时尹喜为大夫，后仰观乾坤之气象，寂心精思以求道。有一天观看到东方紫气西迈显瑞，预知有圣人将要出关，于是自求为函谷关令。遇得老子，拜为师，请求至道，老子遂著成《道》《德》五千言授与尹喜，喜欣争持诵，奉行之后，修成至道。

Yinxi, formerly romanized as Yin-hsi (Chinese: 尹喜; pinyin: Yǐn xǐ), was a legendary figure of Zhou China. He was said to have been a guard at the western gate of the Zhou capital Chengzhou (present-day Luoyang) or, alternatively, at the western pass out of the Luo–Yi valley. His own wisdom caused him to halt Laozi on his way through the gate and, supposedly, he successfully importuned the sage to compose the Tao Te Ching before permitting him to pass.

He later wrote a book called Guan Yi which is of profound knowledge and revered by future scholars. He was also considered an ancient sage later on.

His own book, the Perfect Classic of the Beginning of the Scripture of the Supreme Way (無上妙道文始真經; Wushang miaodao wenshi zhenjing) was lost in the Han period, and later versions were considered to be forgeries.