Qin and Han · Rebel

Chen She 陳涉

Chén Shè

Died BC 209

Passages
101
Chapters
16
Histories
2

Overview

The translated histories identify Chen She as a laborer, rebel, ruler, and warlord. This record brings together 101 passages from 16 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

TypeEnglishChinesePinyin
Personal Chen She 陳涉 Chén Shè
Surname Chen 陳 Chen
Surname Chen 陳 Chén
Personal Chen She 陳涉 Chen She
Alternate Chen She 陳涉 Chen She
Alternate Chen She 陳涉 Chén Shè
Personal name Chen She 陳涉 Chen She
Alternate Chen Sheng 陳勝 Chén Shèng
Personal Chen Sheng 陳勝 Chen Sheng
Personal name Chen Sheng 陳勝 Chen Sheng
Personal Chen Sheng 陳勝 Chén Shèng
Personal name Chen Sheng 陳勝 Chén Shèng
Posthumous Hidden King 隱王
Title King Chen 陳王 Chén Wáng
Title King Chen 陳王 Chen Wang
Title King of Chen 陳王 Chen Wang
Title King of Chen 陳王
Title King of Chu 楚王 Chǔ Wáng
Title King of Chu
Courtesy She 涉 Shè
Given She 涉 She
Given Sheng 勝 Shèng

Identity

Historicity
Historical
Identification
Named
Sex
Male

Roles

  • Laborer
  • Rebel
  • Ruler
  • Warlord

Life and dates

Death

Attested activity

  • Source Date: Text: 一夫作難 · Western Year: BC 209
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:048:s0201
  • Source Date: Text: 二世元年 · Western Year: BC 209
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:048:s0007, shiji:048:s0001
  • Source Date: Text: 二世時 · Western Interval: Start: BC 209 · End: BC 207
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:113:s0004
  • Source Date: Text: 二世時 · Western Year: BC 209
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:099:s0084
  • Source Date: Text: 與陳涉度長絜大 · Western Year: BC 209
    Strongly inferred · shiji:048:s0197
  • Source Date: Text: 陳勝之反秦 · Western Year: BC 209
    Explicit · shiji:073:s0171
  • Source Date: Text: 陳勝之起 · Western Year: BC 209
    Explicit · shiji:091:s0009
  • Source Date: Text: 陳勝之起王也 · Western Year: BC 209
    Explicit · shiji:090:s0004
  • Source Date: Text: 陳勝等起 · Western Year: BC 209
    Explicit · hanshu:046:s0028, shiji:100:s0035
  • Source Date: Text: 陳涉之位 · Western Year: BC 209
    Strongly inferred · shiji:048:s0192
  • Source Date: Text: 陳涉之初起王楚 · Western Year: BC 209
    Explicit event contextual date · shiji:094:s0003
  • Source Date: Text: 陳涉起蘄 · Western Year: BC 209
    Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:041:s0017

Career and standing

Places and affiliations

Works and attributed material

Events and relationships

Assessments and attributes

  • Assessment: although dead, his appointees destroyed Qin because he had initiated the revolt · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · shiji:048:s0152
  • Assessment: garrison conscripts not equal to the armies of the nine states · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · shiji:048:s0194
  • Assessment: grand strategy and arts of war did not reach the statesmen and generals of earlier times · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · shiji:048:s0195
  • Assessment: his trust in Zhu Fang and Hu Wu’s harsh scrutiny alienated his generals and caused his defeat · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · shiji:048:s0147, shiji:048:s0148, shiji:048:s0149, shiji:048:s0150, shiji:048:s0151
  • Assessment: of ordinary ability and neither as wise as Confucius and Mozi nor as wealthy as Tao Zhu and Yi Dun · Provenance: Mode: quoted-source-judgment · Source Person Id: Jia Yi (賈誼)
    Explicit · shiji:048:s0186, shiji:048:s0187
  • Assessment: states east of the mountains could not be compared with Chen She in the same breath when measuring territory and power—yet outcomes were reversed · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · shiji:048:s0197
  • Assessment: station not more exalted than the lords of Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei, Song, Wey, and Zhongshan · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · shiji:048:s0192
  • Assessment: success and failure reversed relative to the stronger lords and armies of the nine states · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · shiji:048:s0196
  • Assessment: weapons of hoes, rakes, and sharpened stakes not equal to hooked halberds and long spears · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgment
    Explicit · shiji:048:s0193

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 1Volume 1: Annals of Emperor Gaozu 1 · 6 passages
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 41Volume 32: Zhang Er and Chen Yu · 13 passages
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 42Volume 33: Wei Bao, Tian Dan and Hán Xin (King of Han) · 5 passages
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 46Volume 37: Ji Bu, Luan Bu and Tian Shu · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 58Volume 49: Yuan Ang and Chao Cuo · 2 passages
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 74Volume 64a: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 1 · 4 passages
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 75Volume 64b: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 2 · 1 passage
Open chapter
Book of Han, Chapter 96Volume 85: Gu Yong and Du Ye · 1 passage
Open chapter
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 48House of Chen She · 55 passages
Open chapter
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 73Biographies of Bai Qi and Wang Jian · 1 passage
Open chapter
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 90Biographies of Wei Bao and Peng Yue · 5 passages
Open chapter
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 91Biography of Qing Bu · 3 passages
Open chapter
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 94Biography of Tian Dan, King of Qi · 1 passage
Open chapter
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 99Biographies of Liu Jing and Shusun Tong · 1 passage
Open chapter
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 100Biographies of Ji Bu and Luan Bu · 1 passage
Open chapter
Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 113Treatise on the Nanyue · 1 passage
Open chapter
至二世時，南海尉任囂病且死，召龍川令趙佗語曰：「聞陳勝等作亂，秦為無道，天下苦之，項羽、劉季、陳勝、吳廣等州郡各共興軍聚眾，虎爭天下，中國擾亂，未知所安，豪傑畔秦相立。 When the Second Emperor's reign began, the Commandant of Nanhai, Ren Xiao, fell gravely ill and lay near death. He summoned Zhao Tuo, the Magistrate of Longchuan, and told him: "I have heard that Chen Sheng and the others have risen in revolt. Qin has ruled without the Way, and the whole realm suffers for it. Xiang Yu, Liu Ji, Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, and men across the commanderies and districts have all raised armies and gathered followers, fighting over the empire like tigers. The Central Plains are thrown into chaos, and no one knows where peace will come from. Great men everywhere have turned against Qin and set themselves up as rival lords.