View source for Chen (state)

{{Short description|Zhou dynasty Chinese state (c. 1045–479 BC)}}
{{Expand Chinese|topic=hist|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name = {{lang|zh-Hant|陳國}}
|conventional_long_name = State of Chen
|common_name =Chen
|era       = 
|status    = 
|government_type = Monarchy
|year_start  = c. 1045 BC
|year_end    = 479 BC
|p1 = 
|s1 = Chu (state)
|s2 = 
|s3 = 
|event_start = 
|event_end   = Became capital of [[Chu (state)|Chu]]
|event1      = 
|date_event1 = 
|event2      = 
|date_event2 = 
|event3      = 
|date_event3 = 
|event4      = 
|date_event4 = 
|event5      = 
|date_event5 = 
|image_map    = Chinese plain 5c. BC-en.svg
|image_map_caption  =  
|capital          =[[Wanqiu]] (宛丘)
|common_languages = 
|religion         = 
|currency     =
|leader1      = 
|leader2      = 
|year_leader1 = 
|year_leader2 = 
|title_leader = 
|deputy1      = 
|year_deputy1 =  
|title_deputy = 
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|pic=Chen (Chinese characters).svg
|piccap="Chen" in [[seal script]] (top), Traditional (middle), and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
|picsize=55px
|t=陳
|s=陈
|p=Chén
|w=Ch'en<sup>2</sup>
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|ch|en|2}}
|gr=Chern
|j=Can<sup>4</sup>
|y=Chàhn
|tl=Tân
|mc=ɖin
|oc-bs=&ast;{{IPA|lri[n]}}
}}

'''Chen''' ({{Lang-zh|c=陈国|s=|t=陳國|p=Chen Guo}}) was a state founded by the [[Duke Hu of Chen]] during the [[Zhou dynasty]] of ancient China. It existed from c. 1045 BC–479 BC. Its capital was [[Wanqiu]], in present-day [[Huaiyang County]] in the plains of eastern [[Henan]] province. [[Chen (surname)|Chen]], the 4th most popular Chinese surname in the world, and members of the [[Hu (surname)|Hu]] clan, the 13th most popular Chinese surname in the world, would claim descent from the Duke Hu of Chen who was in turn descended from the legendary [[Emperor Shun]]. At its peak, Chen encompassed fourteen cities in modern-day [[Henan]] and [[Anhui]].

== Name ==
It is written 陳 the same as the Chen surname. In ancient texts, it is sometimes misspelled as 敶, also pronounced Chen.<ref>《說文解字》陳 段玉裁注</ref>

== Territory ==
Chen was originally from Taihao (太昊、太皞), the capital of [[Fuxi]]'s clan.<ref name=":0">《左傳·昭公十七年》：陈，大皞之虚也</ref> It was south of the [[Yellow River]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>《史记·货殖列传》："陈在楚夏之交，通鱼盐之货，其民多贾。"</ref>

=== Capital ===
[[File:春秋诸侯国分布图(简体).png|thumb|Chen territory (east China)]]
Its capital was [[Wanqiu]], in present-day [[Huaiyang County]] in the plains of eastern [[Henan]] province.<ref>《吕氏春秋·似顺论》对此有更为详细的记载："荆庄王欲伐陈，使人视之。使者曰：'陈不可伐也'。·庄王曰：'何故？'对曰：'城郭高，沟洫深，蓄积多也。'</ref><ref>《毛詩傳》："四方高，中央下曰宛丘"</ref><ref>白壽彝版《中國通史》第03卷 上古時代 第四節 地學</ref> [[Zhu Xi]] explains that Wanqiu means "[a hill] with a crater on top surrounded by high walls on all four sides".<ref>Zhu Xi, ''Collected Explanations on the Classic of Poetry'', "Volume 3 - Wanqiu". [http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Poetry/qinzaotangsikuquanshuhuiyao.html Qinzaotang siku quanshu huiyao 摛藻堂四庫全書薈要] version [https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=en&file=9215&page=79#%E5%9B%9B%E6%96%B9%E9%AB%98%E4%B8%AD%E5%A4%AE%E4%B8%8B%E6%9B%B0%E5%AE%9B%E4%B8%98 p. 79] of 124. quote: "四方高中央下曰宛丘。"</ref>

== History ==
{{Expand section|See Chinese article|date=July 2020}}
According to tradition, the royal family of Chen were descendants of the legendary sage king [[Emperor Shun]]. After the conquest of the [[Shang dynasty]] in 1046/45 BC, [[King Wu of Zhou]] enfeoffed his son-in-law [[Gui Man]], a descendant of Shun, at Chen, and Man became known as [[Duke Hu of Chen]] ([[Chen Hugong]]).{{sfn|Yang|2003|p=121}}{{sfn|Han|2010|pp=2776–7}}

[[Duke Shēn of Chen]], son of Hugong then became second duke of Chen.{{sfn|Han|2010|pp=2778–9}}

Chen later became an ally state of [[Chu (state)|Chu]], fighting as an ally of Chu at the [[Battle of Chengpu]]. It was finally unified with the Chu in 479 BC. Many people of Chen then took the name of their former country as their [[Chinese surname|family name]], and account for the many of Chinese people with the family name [[Chen (surname)|Chen]] today. After the destruction of the old Chu capital at [[Ying (Chu)|Ying]], Chen became the Chu capital.[[File:Kyo.png|thumb|240px|Location of Chen state]]

== Achievements and descendants ==

* The founding duke, formally known as [[Duke Hu of Chen]], is credited with being the originator of the [[Hu (surname)]] and the [[Chen (surname)]].<ref name="xinhua">{{cite web|date=22 March 2014|script-title=zh:陳姓源于淮陽 陳胡公是得姓始祖及舜帝的後裔|trans-title=Chen surname originated in Huaiyang, Duke Hu of Chen is the founding ancestor and a descendant of Emperor Shun|url=http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/www.ha.xinhuanet.com/hnxw/2014-03/22/c_119891561.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529112540/http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/www.ha.xinhuanet.com/hnxw/2014-03/22/c_119891561.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 29, 2015|language=Chinese|agency=Xinhua News Agency}}</ref>
* The Chen clan would later found the [[Chen dynasty]] of China and then the [[Trần dynasty]], a golden age of [[Vietnam]] (陳朝 Tran is the Vietnamese pronunciation of Chen).
* In 1400 AD, [[Hồ Quý Ly]] overthrew the [[Trần dynasty]] and established the [[Hồ dynasty]] (Hồ is the [[Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary|Vietnamese pronunciation]] for "Hu"). He claimed to be a descendant of Chen Hugong and Emperor Shun, and changed the name of Vietnam from [[Đại Việt]] to Đại Ngu (大虞), or Great Ngu (Ngu is the Vietnamese pronunciation for Yu 虞 the legendary state of Emperor Shun).{{sfn|Ngô|1479|p=296}}
* In ancient times 陳 sounded similar to 東 dong, meaning 'East'. It also sounded similar to 田 tian. After the warring states period, some members of the Chen clan in [[Qi (state)]] adopted the surname 田 Tian, which later became popular in Chinese and Japanese surnames. 
In summary, surnames with descent from Chen include:

* Chen surname [[陳姓]]
* Gui surname [[妫姓]]
* Hu surname [[胡姓]]
* Tian surname [[田姓]]
* Yu surname [[虞姓]]
* Yao surname [[姚姓]]
* Yuan surname [[袁姓]]

== Culture ==
The [[Shijing]] has at least 10 songs dedicated to Chen:《宛丘》、《東門之枌》、《衛門》、《東門之池》、《東門之楊》、《墓門》、《防有鵲巢》、《月出》、《株林》、《澤陂》。<ref>《詩經·國風》</ref>

== Rulers ==
The state of Chen lasted nearly 600 years and produced over 25 rulers. In chronological order from first to last (note Hu Gong means Duke of Hu and vice versa):
# [[Duke Hu of Chen]]
#[[Duke Shēn of Chen]] {{sfn|Han|2010|pp=2778–9}}
#[[Duke Xiang of Chen]]
#[[Duke Xiao of Chen]]
#[[Duke Shèn of Chen]]
# [[Duke You of Chen]]
# [[Duke Xi of Chen]]
# [[Duke Wu of Chen]]
# [[Duke Yi of Chen]]
# [[Duke Ping of Chen]]
# [[Duke Wen of Chen]]
# [[Duke Huan of Chen]]
# [[Chen Tuo]]
# [[Duke Li of Chen]]
# [[Duke Zhuang of Chen]]
# [[Duke Xuan of Chen]]
# [[Duke Mu of Chen]]
# [[Duke Gong of Chen]]
# [[Duke Ling of Chen]]
# [[Xia Zhengshu]]
# [[Duke Cheng of Chen]]
# [[Duke Ai of Chen]]
# [[Prince Liu]]
# [[Chuan Fengxu]]
# [[Duke Hui of Chen]]
# [[Duke Huai of Chen]]
# [[Duke Min of Chen]]

== Table ==
{| class="wikitable" style="align: left; margin: 0px" |
<!--{| border="1" -->
|-
|
|'''Ruler'''
| '''Title (Chinese)''' || '''Other Name (Chinese)''' || '''Reign (BC)''' || '''Number of years ruling''' || '''Identity'''
|-
|1
|[[Chen Hugong]]
|[[陳胡公|胡公]]|| 滿 || 1045—986 ||  Ruled for 60 years || The founder of Chen
|-
|2
|[[Duke Shēn of Chen]] {{sfn|Han|2010|pp=2778–9}}
|[[陳申公|申公]]|| 犀侯 || 985—961 || Ruled for 25 years || The son of Hugong|-
|-
|3
|[[Duke Xiang of Chen]]
|[[陳相公|相公]]|| 皋羊 || 960—939 || Ruled for 22 years || The younger brother of Duke Shēn
|-
|4
|[[Duke Xiao of Chen]]
|[[陳孝公|孝公]]|| 突 || 938—905 || Ruled for 34 years || The son of Duke Shēn
|-
|5
|[[Duke Shèn of Chen]]
|[[陳慎公|慎公]]|| 圉戎 || 904—855 || Ruled for 50 years || The son of Duke Xiao
|-
|6
|[[Duke You of Chen]]
|[[陳幽公|幽公]]|| 寧 || 854—832 || Ruled for 23 years || The son of Duke Shen
|-
|7
|[[Duke Xi of Chen]]
|[[陳僖公|僖公]]|| 孝 || 831—796 || Ruled for 36 years || The son of Duke You
|-
|8
|[[Duke Wu of Chen]]
|[[陳武公|武公]]|| 靈 || 795—781 || Ruled for 15 years || The son of Duke Xi
|-
|9
|[[Duke Yi of Chen]]
|[[陳夷公|夷公]]|| 說 || 780—778 || Ruled for 3 years || The son of Duke Wu
|-
|10
|[[Duke Ping of Chen]]
|[[陳平公|平公]]|| 燮 || 777—755 || Ruled for 23 years || The younger brother of Duke Yi
|-
|11
|[[Duke Wen of Chen]]
|[[陳文公|文公]]|| 圉 || 754—745 || Ruled for 10 years || The son of Duke Ping
|-
|12
|[[Duke Huan of Chen]]
|[[陳桓公|桓公]]|| 鮑 || 744—707 || Ruled for 38 years || The son of Duke Wen
|-
|13
|[[Chen Tuo]]
|  - ||[[陳佗|佗]]|| 707─706 || Ruled for 8 months || The younger brother of Duke Huan
|-
|14
|[[Duke Li of Chen]]
|[[陳厲公|厲公]]|| 躍 || 706─700 || Ruled for 7 years || The son of Duke Huan
|-
|15
|[[Duke Zhuang of Chen]]
|[[陳莊公|莊公]]|| 林 || 699—693 || Ruled for 7 years || The son of Duke Li
|-
|16
|[[Duke Xuan of Chen]]
|[[陳宣公|宣公]]|| 杵臼 || 692—648 || Ruled for 45 years || The younger brother of Duke Zhuang
|-
|17
|[[Duke Mu of Chen]]
|[[陳穆公|穆公]]|| 款 || 647—632 || Ruled for 16 years || The son of Duke Xuan
|-
|18
|[[Duke Gong of Chen]]
|[[陳共公|共公]]|| 朔 || 631—614 || Ruled for 18 years || The son of Duke Mu
|-
|19
|Duke Ling of Chen
|[[陳靈公|靈公]]|| 平國 || 613—599 || Ruled for 15 years || The son of Duke Gong
|-
|20
|Xia Zhengshu
|  - ||[[夏徵舒|徵舒]]|| 599 || Ruled for multiple months || The great-grandson of Duke Xuan
|-
|21
|Duke Cheng of Chen
|[[陳成公|成公]]|| 午 || 598—569 || Ruled for 30 years || The son of Duke Ling
|-
|22
|Duke Ai of Chen
|[[陳哀公|哀公]]|| 弱 || 568—534 || Ruled for 35 years || The son of Duke Cheng
|-
|23
|Gongzi Liu
|  - ||[[公子留|留]]|| 534, from March to November || Ruled for 9 months || The son of Duke Ai
|-
|24
|Chuan Fengxu
|  - ||[[穿封戌]]|| 533—529 || Ruled for 5 years || Advisor of [[Chu (state)|Chu]]
|-
|25
|Duke Hui of Chen
|[[陳惠公|惠公]]|| 吳 || 529—506 || Ruled for 28 years || Grandson of Duke Ai
|-
|26
|Duke Huai of Chen
|[[陳懷公|懷公]]|| 柳 || 505—502 || Ruled for 4 years || Son of Duke Hui
|-
|27
|Duke Min of Chen
|[[陳湣公|湣公]]|| 越 || 501—478 || Ruled for 24 years || Son of Duke Huai
|}
Note: the reign lengths of the dukes before Duke You of Chen are derived from conjecture, and are only for reference.

== Family tree ==
{{Family tree of Chen state}}
See [[:zh:陈国君主世系图]]<!-- consider vertical tree, merging all 3 -->
{{ahnentafel|1. [[Chen Hugong]] (陈胡公)|30=|23=|24=|25=|26=|27=|28=|29=|31=|21=|collapsed=no|align=center|title=Rulers of Chen, Hugong to Yougong|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;|22=|20=|2. [[Duke Shēn of Chen]] (陈申公)|10=|3. [[Chen Xianggong]] (陈相公)|4. [[Duke Xiao of Chen]] (陈孝公)||||5. [[Duke Shèn of Chen]] (陳慎公)||11=|19=|12=|13=|14=|15=|16=6. [[Duke You of Chen]] (陳幽公)|17=|18=|boxstyle_5=background-color: #fcb;}}{{ahnentafel|6. [[Duke You of Chen]] (陳幽公)|30=|23=|24=|25=|26=|27=|28=|29=|31=|21=|collapsed=no|align=center|title=Rulers of Chen, Yougong to Wengong|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;|22=|20=|7. [[Duke Xi of Chen]] (陳僖公)|10=||8. [[Duke Wu of Chen]] (陳武公)||||9. [[Duke Yi of Chen]] (陳夷公)|10. [[Duke Ping of Chen]] (陳平公)|11=|19=|12=|13=|14=|15=|16=|17=|18=11. [[Duke Wen of Chen]] (陳文公)|boxstyle_5=background-color: #fcb;}}{{ahnentafel|11. [[Duke Wen of Chen]] (陳文公)|30=|23=|24=|25=|26=|27=|28=|29=|31=|21=|collapsed=no|align=center|title=Rulers of Chen, Wengong to Gonggong|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;|22=|20=|12. [[Duke Huan of Chen]] (陳桓公)|10=|13. [[Chen Tuo]] (陳佗)|15. [[Duke Zhuang of Chen]] (陳莊公)|16. [[Duke Xuan of Chen]] (陳宣公)|14. [[Duke Li of Chen]] (陳厲公)||17. [[Duke Mu of Chen]] (陳穆公)||11=|19=|12=|13=|14=|15=|16=18. [[Duke Gong of Chen]] (陳共公)|17=|18=|boxstyle_5=background-color: #fcb;}}

==See also==
* [[Chen (surname)]], [[陳姓]] adopted by people of Chen state
* [[Chen Hugong]], founding emperor
* Emperor Shun ([[舜帝]]), forefather of Chen
* Tian Qi [[田齊]]
* Gui surname [[妫姓]]
* Hu surname [[胡姓]]
* Tian surname [[田姓]]
* Yu surname [[虞姓]]
* Yao surname [[姚姓]]
* Yuan surname [[袁姓]]
*[[Yuan Taotu]], relative of Chen family

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |title=Shiji |script-title=zh:史记 |language=Chinese |editor-last=Han |editor-first=Zhaoqi |year=2010 |publisher=Zhonghua Book Company |isbn = 978-7-101-07272-3 |chapter=Houses of Chen and Qi}}
* {{cite book |last = Ngô |first = Sĩ Liên |authorlink = Ngô Sĩ Liên |title = Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư |trans-title=Complete Annals of Dai Viet |year=1479 |url =  |language=Vietnamese}}
* {{cite book |title = Xi Zhou Shi |script-title = zh:西周史 |trans-title=History of the Western Zhou |language = Chinese |last=Yang |first=Kuan |authorlink=Yang Kuan |year=2003 |publisher = Shanghai People's Publishing House |isbn = 978-7-208-04538-5}}

== Reading ==

* 《史記》<small>卷36：陳杞世家 [<nowiki/>[[Shiji]]]</small>
* 《春秋左氏傳》<small>(始見於隱公三年) [<nowiki/>[[Spring and Autumn period]]]</small>
{{Rulers of Chen (state)}}{{Zhou dynasty topics}}

[[Category:Chen (state)| ]]
[[Category:Ancient Chinese states]]
[[Category:States of the Spring and Autumn period]]
[[Category:Zhou dynasty]]
[[Category:11th century BC]]
[[Category:11th-century BC establishments in China]]
[[Category:States and territories established in the 11th century BC]]
[[Category:5th-century BC disestablishments in China]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 5th century BC]]