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 ( Amulets ) 

During the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420), it was already considered unnecessary for users of Taoist talismans to be able to decipher the writing on them in order for them to be considered efficacious.Steavu, Dominic, "Paratextuality, Materiality, and Corporeality in Medieval Chinese Religions", [1] ( target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Archive). Ge Hong noted in his Baopuzi that as long as the inscription was authentic, successful use of the talisman did not depend on whether the user was able to decipher its script. By this time, the talisman's illegibility had already become a sign that they were of divine authority and held supernatural provenance.

tend to have irregular strokes that resemble Chinese characters, often elongating existing words while incorporating non-character symbols. [[Taoist priest|Daoist priest]]s are the main interpreters of this eclectic writing system, and the characters can differ from sect to sect. The method of writing down these characters is generally passed down in secret from a Taoist priest to their disciples and treated as a special craft with which to communicate to local deities and spirits. According to [[Fudan University]] professor Ge Zhaoguang, the unreadability of Taoist talismanic is a type of 'linguistic archaism' deliberately designed to be incomprehensible, as "a veil of unfathomable otherwordliness" that allows only a small number of qualified clergy to adequately produce them.Ge Zhaoguang, , 57, cited in Yang, “Devouring Impurities,” 269. Similarly, Brigitte Baptandier, “Le Tableau talismanique de l'Empereur de Jade, Construction d'un objet d'écriture,” L’Homme 129 (1994): 59–92, argues that while talismanic diagrams are not intended to be read according to habitual linguistic conventions, through their symbols and script, they narrate mythologies and histories (among other things) and are therefore decipherable if not legible. However, she focuses on contemporary applications of talismans-diagrams that date from a more recent time when Daoism, especially in its more vernacular incarnations, was less concerned with establishing legitimacy and thus not as inclined to emphasise illegibility; see also Yang, “Devouring Impurities,” 269.
     

Some appear to have been created from a composition of two Chinese characters, by stacking one atop of the other. This technique of synthesis was not unique to Taoists: also appear on other kinds of Chinese charms, such as Buddhist coin charms and . style varies from sect to sect, with each having different incantations and different used in their creation. Even the Invocation used for a single deity will vary between sects.

While rejected by traditional Chinese medicine, continues to be widely used amongst Chinese folk healers today. With the growing influence of Western psychology in the 20th century, began to be interpreted as a Chinese counterpart of Western hypnosis.

was also incorporated into coin talismans, of which many resemble cash. Many of these talismans have not yet been deciphered. One specimen has been described where talismanic script was written side by side with Chinese characters suspected to be their glosses or equivalents.TAOISTSECRET.COM [https://web.archive.org/web/20060625233102/http://www.taoistsecret.com/taoist.html Taoist Talismans]. Retrieved: 10 May 2018.Anything Anywhere - CHINA, amulets. [http://www.anythinganywhere.com/commerce/coins/coinpics/chin-amulets1.htm Chinese culture is permeated, no, based on poetic allusion, hidden meanings, union of opposites, complex currents of energy and intention. In certain contexts these bases can express in rank superstition (present in all human cultures), and in others can lead to scientific advancement]. Retrieved: 10 May 2018. On rare occasions,  has also been found on Buddhist numismatic charms and amulets. Most of these coin talismans request [[Lei Gong]] to protect its carriers from evil spirits and misfortune.
     

are usually included at the beginning and the end of the inscription on a Taoist coin charm.