Chen Sheng

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When Chen Sheng first became the King of Chu, his relatives and friends all arrived to join him, as did his father-in-law. But when his father-in-law arrived, Chen treated him as an ordinary guest and only made a slight bow and did not kneel to him. His father-in-law became angry and stated, "You are leading a rebellion and falsely claiming the title of a king, but you are arrogant toward your elders: You surely cannot last." He turned to leave without further discussion, and even though Chen knelt to ask for his forgiveness, he ignored Chen. Later, when there were more and more relatives and friends arriving, they were discussing the stories when Chen was young. Someone suggested, "The old friends and guests of Your Royal Highness are foolish and often liked to talk in vain; they will damage your image and hurt your reputation." Chen executed a good number of his old friends, and therefore his friends began to leave him and not follow him. Chen made Zhou Fang to be his examination minister and Hu Wu to be the head of his guard, to be in charge of intelligence and security. When the generals conquered cities and returned, the two of them often criticized and nit-picked on the commands issued by those generals or their acts; often, if they felt the commands or the acts were not lawful, they would arrest the generals. Chen considered those who are strict to be the most faithful ones. The ones that Chen did not like were either given over to courts martial or personally punished by him. The generals had no affection for Chen, and this led to his downfall.

While Chinese historians may quibble with Sima Guang's characterization of Chen,[ citation needed ] it appears to be quite correct. He claimed the title of king only months after the start of his rebellion, without a sufficient foundation. Once he did, he effectively became stuck in Chen County and could not firmly hold territories that were conquered, because the people in the territories did not view him with great affection[ citation needed ].

According to Shiji, [6] Chen Sheng was the person who coined the Chinese proverb, "How can a little songbird understand the ambitions of a grand swan!" (燕雀安知鴻鵠志), a saying that figures prominently in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms . [7]

He sometimes appears as a door god in Chinese and Taoist temples, usually paired with Wu Guang.

The pattern of an impostor and his general, founded by Chen Sheng, was closely followed by Han Shantong and Liu Futong in the end of Yuan Dynasty.

See also

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References

Citations

  1. According to volume 48 of Records of the Grand Historian, Chen Sheng died in the 12th month of the 1st year of the reign of Qin Er Shi. This corresponds to 4 Jan to 1 Feb 208 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar. ([二世元年]腊月,陈王之汝阴,还至下城父,其御庄贾杀以降秦.)Shiji, vol.48
  2. (陈胜者,阳城人也,字涉。) Shiji, vol.48
  3. (陈胜葬砀,谥曰隐王。) Shiji, vol.48
  4. Volume 48 of Records of the Grand Historian dated the incident to the 7th month of the 1st year of the reign of Qin Er Shi. This corresponds to 9 Aug to 7 Sep 209 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar. (二世元年七月,发闾左适戍渔阳,九百人屯大泽乡。...) Shiji, vol.48
  5. (初,陈涉既为王,其故人皆往依之。妻之父亦往焉,陈王以众宾待之,长揖不拜。妻之父怒曰:“怙乱僭号,而傲长者,不能久矣!”不辞而去。陈王跪谢,遂不为顾。客出入愈益发舒,言陈王故情。或说陈王曰:“客愚无知,颛妄言,轻威。”陈王斩之。诸故人皆自引去,由是无亲陈王者。陈王以朱防为中正,胡武为司过,主司群臣。诸将徇地至,令之不是,辄系而罪之。以苛察为忠,其所不善者,弗下吏,辄自治之。诸将以其故不亲附,此其所以败也。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.08
  6. Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian, Volume 48.
  7. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ch. IV.

Bibliography

Chen Sheng
Traditional Chinese 陳勝
Simplified Chinese 陈胜
Titles in pretence
Recreated
Title last held by
Lord Changping
 TITULAR 
King of Chu
210 BC 209 BC
Succeeded by