 Among the first wave of Neo-Daoist philosophers, He Yan (ca. 207–249) and Wang Bi (226–249) are often singled out by later scholars as having laid the foundation of the new Learning in the Profound. According to the Jin shu (History of the Jin Dynasty), He Yan, Wang Bi, and some of their contemporaries set forth the meaning of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and established the view that all beings “have their roots in nothingness (wu),” which not only “originates things” but also “completes affairs.” As the Jin shu goes on to relate, wu is that which the yin and yang qi, vital forces or “energies,” depend on in their creative transformation, that which all beings depend on in acquiring their form, and that which the morally worthy depend on in acquiring their virtuous character (Chapter 43). This furnishes a helpful starting point for a reconstruction of Xuanxue philosophy.