Book of Chen

Book of Chen
Traditional Chinese	陳書
Simplified Chinese	陈书
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chén Shū Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tân-su

The Book of Chen or Chen Shu (Chén Shū) was the official history of the Chen dynasty, one of the Southern Dynasties of China. It ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China, and was compiled by the Tang dynasty historian Yao Silian, completed in 636.

Similar to Book of Liang, it heavily relied on Yao Silian's father Yao Cha's original manuscript.

The book is one of the more complete extant records of the Chen dynasty. However, it has been criticised for attempting to cover up the wrongdoings of the royal family. A commentary by the Tang prime minister Wei Zheng, which is also included in the book, contradicts some of the claims made in the book.

Sources

In addition to his use of Yao Cha's previous work, Yao Silian relied by contemporary court diaries by Gu Yewang 顧野王 (519-581) and Fu Zai 傅縡 (531-585) and an earlier text also named Chen shu 陳書, compiled by Lu Qiong 陸瓊 (537-586).

Contents

Annals (紀)

#	Title	Translation	Notes
Volume 1	本紀第1 高祖上	Emperor Wu
Volume 2	本紀第2 高祖下	Emperor Wu
Volume 3	本紀第3 世祖	Emperor Wen
Volume 4	本紀第4 廢帝	Emperor Fei
Volume 5	本紀第5 宣帝	Emperor Xuan
Volume 6	本紀第6 後主	Houzhu

Biographies (列傳)

#	Title	Translation	Notes
Volume 7	列傳第1 皇后	Empresses
Volume 8	列傳第2 杜僧明 周文育 侯安都	Du Sengming; Zhou Wenyu; Hou Andu
Volume 9	列傳第3 侯瑱 歐陽頠 吳明徹 裴子烈	Hou Tian; Ouyang Wei; Wu Mingche; Pei Zilie
Volume 10	列傳第4 周鐵虎 程靈洗	Zhou Tiehu; Cheng Lingxi
Volume 11	列傳第5 黃法𣰰 淳于量 章昭達	Huang Faqu; Chunyu Liang; Zhang Zhaoda
Volume 12	列傳第6 胡穎 徐度 杜稜 沈恪	Hu Ying; Xu Du; Du Leng; Shen Ke
Volume 13	列傳第7 徐世譜 魯悉達 周敷 荀朗 周炅	Xu Shipu; Lu Xida; Zhou Fu; Xun Lang; Zhou Jiong
Volume 14	列傳第8 衡陽獻王昌 南康愍王曇朗	Chen Chang; Chen Tanlang
Volume 15	列傳第9 宗室	Imperial Family
Volume 16	列傳第10 趙知禮 蔡景歷 劉師知 謝岐	Zhao Zhili; Cai Jingli; Liu Shizhi; Xie Qi
Volume 17	列傳第11 王沖 王通 袁敬	Wang Chong); Wang Tong; Yuan Jing
Volume 18	列傳第12 沈眾 袁泌 劉仲威 陸山才 王質 韋載	Shen Zhong; Yuan mi; Liu Zhongwei; Lu Shancai; Wang Zhi); Wei Zai
Volume 19	列傳第13 沈炯 虞荔 馬樞	Shen Jiong; Yu Li; Ma Shu
Volume 20	列傳第14 到仲舉 韓子高 華皎	Dao Zhongju; Han Zigao; Hua Jiao
Volume 21	列傳第15 謝哲 蕭乾 謝嘏 張種 王固 孔奐 蕭允	Xie Zhe; Xiao Qian; Wang Gu; Kong Huan; Xiao Yun
Volume 22	列傳第16 陸子隆 錢道戢 駱牙	Lu Zilong, Qian Daoji, Luo Ya
Volume 23	列傳第17 沈君理 王瑒 陸繕	Shen Junli; Wang Yang; Lu Shan
Volume 24	列傳第18 周弘正 袁憲	Zhou Hongzheng; Yuan Xian
Volume 25	列傳第19 裴忌 孫瑒	Pei Ji; Sun Yang
Volume 26	列傳第20 徐陵	Xu Ling
Volume 27	列傳第21 江總 姚察	Jiang Zong; Yao Cha
Volume 28	列傳第22 世祖九王 高宗二十九王 後主諸子	Nine Princes of Wen; Twenty-nine Princes of Xuan; Princes of Houzhu
Volume 29	列傳第23 宗元饒 司馬申 毛喜 蔡徵	Zhuang Yuanrao; Sima Shen; Mao Xi; Cai Zhi
Volume 30	列傳第24 蕭濟 陸瓊 顧野王 傅縡	Xiao Ji; Lu Qiong; Gu Yewang; Fu Zai
Volume 31	列傳第25 蕭摩訶 任忠 樊毅 魯廣達	Xiao Mohe; Ren Zhong; Fan Yi; Lu Guangda
Volume 32	列傳第26 孝行	Filial Piety
Volume 33	列傳第27 儒林	Confucian Scholars
Volume 34	列傳第28 文學	Writers
Volume 35	列傳第29 熊曇朗 周迪 留異 陳寶應	Xiong Tanlang; Zhou Di; Liu Yi; Chen Baoying
Volume 36	列傳第30 始興王叔陵 新安王伯固	Chen Shuling, Prince of Shixing; Chen Bogu, Prince of Xin'an

References

Works cited

• Chaussende, Damien (2015). "Chen shu 陳書". In Dien, Albert E; Chennault, Cynthia Louise; Knapp, Keith Nathaniel; Berkowitz, Alan J (eds.). Early Medieval Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide. Berkeley: Institute of East Asian Studies University of California. pp. 44–47.

External links

• Text of the Book of Chen, available from National Sun Yat-sen University.
• Book of Chen 《陳書》 Chinese text with matching English vocabulary