The Three Great Emperor-Officials (Chinese: 三官大帝; pinyin: sānguān dàdì), Sanguan,[1] or the Three Officials[1] are three of the highest shen in some branches of religious Taoism, and subordinate only to the Jade Emperor (玉帝 yùdì).

They administer all phenomena in the three spheres,[citation needed] and were thought to be able to take away sin.

Chinese playwrights popularized the worship of these gods by including a skit before plays with shared themes between each performance called The Official of Heaven Brings Happiness.

[2][1] Tiānguān was thought to have power over Tiān or heaven and grant happiness to believers.

[1][2] Shuǐguān was the ruler of the ocean in some Taoist belief systems,[1][2] and in others, he shared the same position as the Dragon King[2] or did not exist.