According to legend, Sushu was written by Huangshi at the end of Qin Dynasty, and it is regarded as a strange book and heavenly book by the people. "Sushu" takes the principle as its purpose, and at the same time regards Taoism, virtue, benevolence, righteousness, and ritual as the fundamentals of governing the country and the rationality of the universe and all things in order to understand the origin of things.

素書相傳為秦末黃石公作，民間視為奇書、天書。它雖提出"道、德、仁、義、禮，五者壹體"，《素書》以道理為宗旨，同時以道、德、仁、義、禮為立身治國的根本、揆度宇宙萬物自然運化的理數，以此認識事物本原。

傳說黃石公三試張良，而後把此書授予張良。張良憑借此書，助劉邦定江山。2012年記者會上，溫家寶總理引用書中名句“守職而不廢，處義而不回”，以守信約。