Hóngzhì Zhèngjué 宏智正覺 (1091–1157), Southern Sòng Cáodòng 曹洞 master, native of Xízhōu 隰州 (modern Shānxī), lay surname Lǐ 李. Ordained at eleven in the local Jìngmíng sì 淨明寺, received full precepts at fourteen at Jìnzhōu Cíyún sì 晉州慈雲寺 under Zhìqióng 智瓊, began itinerant study at eighteen. He first trained with Kūmù Fǎchéng 枯木法成 before settling under Dānxiá Zǐchún 丹霞子淳 (1066–1119), a fǎsì 法嗣 of Fúróng Dàokǎi 芙蓉道楷 (1043–1118); his awakening was provoked by Zǐchún’s question on the self before the empty kalpa (空劫以前自己). Thereafter Zhèngjué held a rapid sequence of abbacies — Sìzhōu Pǔzhào 泗州普照, Shūzhōu Tàipíng 舒州太平, Jiāngzhōu Yuántōng Chóngshèng / Néngrén 江州圓通崇勝／能仁, Zhēnzhōu Chánglú Chóngfú 真州長蘆崇福 — before assuming in the late Jiànyán years the Tiāntóng Jǐngdé chánsì 天童景德禪寺 at Míngzhōu 明州, where he held the abbacy for nearly thirty years. Briefly relocated to Línyǐn 靈隱 at imperial summons in Shàoxīng 8 (1138) and almost immediately allowed to return to Tiāntóng. Died on Shàoxīng 27 shíyuè bārì (1157), aged sixty-seven; sēnglà 僧臘 fifty-three. Imperially styled Hóngzhì chánshī 宏智禪師; pagoda named Miàoguāng 妙光.
Zhèngjué is the principal Southern Sòng advocate of mòzhào chán 默照禪 (“silent-illumination”), the meditative-contemplative style that the Línjì-side master Dàhuì Zōnggǎo 大慧宗杲 (1089–1163) polemically opposed under the rubric mòzhào xié chán 默照邪禪. Despite the doctrinal dispute the two were personally close: Zhèngjué’s dying-day letter was addressed to Dàhuì, who travelled to Tiāntóng in time to conduct the cremation.
Works in the Kanripo corpus: KR6q0070 Hóngzhì chánshī guǎnglù 宏智禪師廣錄 (recorded sayings in 9 juan, T48 n2001); the Sòng gǔ bǎi zé 頌古百則 component is the verse-precedent set on which Wànsōng Xíngxiù 萬松行秀 later based the Cóngróng lù 從容錄 (KR6q0079).
Per DILA A000278: born 1091, died 1157-11-18 (Shàoxīng 27.10.8); tomb-inscription source is juan 4 of the same yǔlù. Fourteen named fǎsì 法嗣 recorded in the lineage compendia, including Sìzōng 嗣宗, Fǎzhì 法智, Fǎwéi 法為, Fǎgōng 法恭, Huìhuī 慧暉.