According to Pu Mu-chou, a researcher at Academia Sinica's Institute of History and Philology, the earthly immortal was invented at some point during the Qin or Han dynasty as a position in the pantheon for China's all-powerful emperors, who enjoyed life tremendously and were reluctant to leave it.
中研院史語所研究員蒲慕州指出，地仙，其實是針對早期秦、漢帝王因為權勢過人、貪戀人間，捨不得死，而被想像、「安排」出來的位置。