After Chih-i’s death, the T’ien-t’ai School went through a period during which it was eclipsed by such new schools as the Hua-yen and Fa-hsiang. Chan-jan (711—782) revived the T’ien-t’ai School during the eighth century. Traditional biographies state that Chan-jan had thoroughly studied the Ssufen lü and was ordained by the Ssufen lü master T’an-i (692—771).

Among Chan-jan’s numerous works are commentaries on Chih-i’s three major works. His treatment of the Perfect precepts in these commentaries is much like that of Chih-i with one important change in emphasis. While Chih-i stressed the abstract, formless qualities of the absolute precepts (rikai), Chan-jan argued that the rikai were only complete when they had actual rules (jikai) as their contents. Moreover, Chan-jan maintained that if the absolute, formless quality of the rikai were overemphasized, monks would be more apt to violate the precepts. Chan-jan argued that the Fan wang precepts could be considered the contents of the Perfect precepts. In doing so, he gave the Fan wang precepts a greater practical role than Chih-i had given them in his three major works.