I am not Taoist. But I think to sideline 三清 as "folk" , doesn't sound right bro.
The other chinese things you say to be honest I have no idea what they mean cause I not Taoist, so maybe you are right. But anyway this is what it says on the web:
The
Three Pure Ones (
Chinese: 三清;
pinyin:
Sānqīng), also translated as the
Three Pure Pellucid Ones, the
Three Pristine Ones, the
Three Divine Teachers, the
Three Clarities, or the
Three Purities, are the three highest gods in the
Taoist pantheon. They are regarded as pure manifestations of the
Tao[1] and the origin of all sentient beings, along with the "lords of the Three Life Principles or 'Breaths' (
qi)".
[2] They were also gods who were "associated with the sky, the earth and the underworld."
[1]
They were thought to be able to control and have power over
time in various ways.
[2] They were seen as literally the "Past, Present, and Future"
From the Taoist classic
Tao Te Ching, it was held that "The Tao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced All things." It is generally agreed by Taoist scholars that Tao produced One means
Wuji produced
Taiji, and One produced Two means Taiji produced
Yin and Yang [or Liangyi (兩儀) in scholastic term]. However, the subject of how Two produced Three has remained a popular debate among Taoist scholars. Most scholars believe that it refers to the Interaction between Yin and Yang, with the presence of
Chi, or life force.
[3]
