Chen Baoji (陳保極) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Chen Baoji as an official and scholar. This record brings together 8 passages from 1 chapter across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Chen Baoji	陳保極	Chen Baoji
Given	Baoji	保極	Baoji
Surname	Chen	陳	Chen
Personal name	Chen Baoji	陳保極	Chen Baoji

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0009

Roles

Official
Scholar

Life and dates

Death

Manner: died nursing resentment
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0018

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 天福中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 936 · End: AD 944
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0015
Source Date: Text: 後唐天成中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 926 · End: AD 930
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0010

Family

Kinship Role: wife-and-children · Count: 0 · Negated: true
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0021

Career and standing

Label: staff officer / aide / 從事
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0010
Label: investigating officer of Dingzhou / 定州推官 · Action: appointed
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0011
Label: Vice Director in the Ministry of Granaries / 倉部員外郎 · Action: held
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0012, jiuwudaishi:096:s0018
Label: Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites / 禮部員外郎 · Action: held
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0012
Status: stripped-of-insignia · Action: entered · Label: gold seal and purple robe removed / 奪金紫
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0017
Status: demotion · Label: assistant director of the Court of Imperial Regalia / 衛尉寺丞 · Action: demoted
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0017

Places and affiliations

Place: Fujian / Minzhong / 閩中
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0009

Learning and skills

Credential: Presented Scholar / 進士 · Action: earned · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 後唐天成中 · Western Interval: Start: AD 926 · End: AD 930
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0010

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Quoted: true
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0013

Events and relationships

Kind: personal · Role: speaker · Action: mocked-Sang-Weihan-as-half-a-man · Other Person Id: Sang Weihan (桑維翰)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0013, jiuwudaishi:096:s0014
Relation: client-of · Person Id: Li Congrong (李從榮)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0010

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: arrogant and miserly; no real talent for the age · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0019
Kind: physical-description · Statement: Sang Weihan was short and plain-looking (Baoji's characterization)
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:096:s0014

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 96Volume 96 Book of Later Jin 22: Biographies 11: Kong Chongbi, Chen Baoji, Wang Yu, Zhang Jizuo, Zhen Ruan, Hu Rao, Liu Suiqing, Fang Gao, Meng Chenghui, Liu Jixun, Zheng Shouyi, Cheng Xun, Li Yu, Zheng Xuansu, Ma Zhongji, Chen Xuan · 8 passages

Open chapter

陳保極，閩中人也。 Chen Baoji was a native of Fujian.

從榮素急暴，後怒保極不告出遊宰相門，以馬箠鞭之，尋出為定州推官。 Congrong was naturally violent and impulsive. He later flew into a rage because Baoji had visited the chief ministers without telling him, and lashed him with a riding crop. Baoji was soon transferred out to serve as investigating officer in Dingzhou.

從榮敗，執政知其屈，擢居三署，歷禮部、倉部員外郎。 After Congrong's downfall the court recognized that Baoji had been treated unjustly and promoted him into the Three Bureaus, where he served successively as vice director in the ministries of rites and of granaries.

初，桑維翰登第之歲，保極時在秦王幕下，因戲謂同輩曰：「近知今歲有三個半人及第。」 When Sang Weihan took his degree, Baoji was still on the prince of Qin's staff. He joked to his colleagues, "I've just heard that three and a half men passed the examination this year."

蓋其年收四人，保極以維翰短陋，故謂之半人也。 Four candidates had in fact passed that year, but because Weihan was short and plain-looking, Baoji counted him as only half a man.

天福中，維翰既居相位，保極時在曹郎，慮除官差跌，心不自安，乃乞假南遊，將謀退跡。 In the Tianfu era, once Weihan had become chief minister, Baoji was serving as a bureau secretary. Fearful of being demoted, he grew uneasy and asked leave to travel south, planning to retire from office.

既而襄、鄧長吏以行止入奏，維翰乃奏於高祖曰：「保極閩人，多狡，恐逃入淮海。」 Soon the senior officials of Xiang and Deng reported his movements to court. Weihan then told Gaozu, "Baoji is a Fujian man and notoriously cunning; I fear he may flee to the Huaihai region."

保極無時才，有傲人之名，而性復鄙吝，所得利祿，未嘗奉身，但蔬食而已。 Baoji had no real talent for public life and was known for looking down on others, yet he was also miserly by nature. He never spent his salary on himself and lived on nothing but plain fare.