Chen Zun (陳遵) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Chen Zun as an envoy and official. This record brings together 27 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 Zun	陳遵	Chen Zun
Surname	Chen	陳	Chen
Courtesy	Menggong	孟公	Menggong
Given	Zun	遵	Zun

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · hanshu:104:s0296

Roles

Envoy
Official

Life and dates

Death

Text: killed while drunk at Shuofang / 時醉見殺
Explicit · hanshu:104:s0214

Career and standing

Title: Governor of Henan / 河南太守
Explicit · hanshu:104:s0183
Title: Marquis of Jiawei / 嘉威侯
Explicit · hanshu:104:s0172

Places and affiliations

Place: Duling / 杜陵
Explicit · hanshu:104:s0296

Events and relationships

Type: brother-of · Person Id: Chen Ji (陳級)
Explicit · hanshu:104:s0187
Type: grandson-of · Person Id: Chen Sui (陳遂)
Explicit · hanshu:104:s0297

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 104Volume 92: Youxias · 27 passages

Open chapter

及王莽時，諸公之間陳遵為雄，閭里之俠原涉為魁。 By Wang Mang's day Chen Zun lorded it among the great ministers, while Yuan She ruled the back-alley swordsmen.

陳遵字孟公，杜陵人也。 Chen Zun, styled Menggong, came from Duling.

遵少孤，與張竦伯松俱為京兆史。 Chen Zun lost his father young and served with Zhang Song as a Metropolitan clerk.

竦博學通達，以廉儉自守，而遵放縱不拘，操行雖異，然相親友，哀帝之末俱著名字，為後進冠。 Zhang Song was bookish and abstemious; Chen Zun was a rake—opposites who stayed fast friends and, by Aidi's end, topped every young blade's list.

並入公府，公府掾史率皆羸車小馬，不上鮮明，而遵獨極輿馬衣服之好，門外車騎交錯。 They joined a minister's staff where everyone else rattled up in patched carts—Chen Zun alone rolled in matched teams and silks until his gate looked like a parade ground.

西曹以故事適之，侍曹輒詣寺捨白遵曰：「陳卿今日以某事適。」 The western office docked his pay by rule; runners tracked him to his lodgings: "Sir, today's fine is for such-and-such."

遵曰：「滿百乃相聞。」 Chen Zun said, "Wake me when the tally hits a hundred."

大司徒馬宮大儒優士，又重遵，謂西曹：「此人大度士，奈何以小文責之？」 Grand Minister Ma Gong, a Confucian who prized talent, told the western bureau, "Chen Zun is a big spirit—do not nag him over trivia."

乃舉遵能治三輔劇縣，補郁夷令。 So he nominated Chen Zun for a tough county in the capital region and got him posted to Yuyi.

槐裡大賊趙朋、霍鴻等起，遵為校尉，擊朋、鴻有功，封嘉威侯。 When Zhao Peng and Huo Hong raided Huaili, Chen Zun led a column, crushed them, and earned the marquisate of Jiawei.

牧守當之官，及郡國豪桀至京師者，莫不相因到遵門。 Every governor bound for a post and every provincial bravo who hit the capital made Chen Zun's house their first stop.

遵嗜酒，每大飲，賓客滿堂，輒關門，取客車轄投井中，雖有急，終不得去。 Chen Zun loved banquets: once the hall filled he barred the doors and dropped the guests' axle pins down the well so no emergency could pry them loose.

嘗有部刺史奏事，過遵，值其方飲，刺史大窮，候遵沾醉時，突入見遵母，叩頭自白當對尚書有期會狀，母乃令從後閣出去。 A provincial inspector once needed an audience at the Secretariat but found Chen Zun mid-orgy; he crawled to Mistress Chen, kowtowed, explained his deadline, and she smuggled him out the back gate while her son reeled.

遵大率常醉，然事亦不廢。 He was almost always drunk—yet the desk work still got done.

時列侯有與遵同姓字者，每至人門，曰陳孟公，坐中莫不震動，既至而非，因號其人曰陳驚坐雲。 Another Chen shared his name; whenever that man announced "Chen Menggong" at a door the room jumped—then groaned when the wrong Chen walked in, so wits dubbed him "Chen Who Frightens the Seats."

王莽素奇遵材，在位多稱譽者，由是起為河南太守。 Wang Mang admired his gifts; enough officials sang his praise that he was named governor of Henan.

遵馮幾，口占書吏，且省官事，書數百封，親疏各有意，河南大驚。 He leaned on the desk, dictated mail while signing documents, tailored every letter to its recipient, and left Henan clerks gaping.

初，遵為河南太守，而弟級為荊州牧，當之官，俱過長安富人故淮陽王外家左氏飲食作樂。 While Chen Zun governed Henan and his brother Chen Ji was taking up the Jingzhou shepherdship, both detoured to party at the Chang'an villa of the Zuo clan—rich in-laws of the late King of Huaiyang.

後司直陳崇聞之，劾奏：「遵兄弟幸得蒙恩超等歷位，遵爵列侯，備郡守，級州牧奉使，皆以舉直察枉宣揚聖化為職，不正身自慎。 Director Chen Chong impeached them: "These brothers owe their rapid rise to imperial favor—one a marquis and governor, the other a regional shepherd—yet they refuse the sober bearing their offices demand.

始遵初除，乘籓車入閭巷，過寡婦左阿君置酒歌謳，遵起舞跳梁，頓僕坐上，暮因留宿，為侍婢扶臥。 Chen Zun's first act in office was to roll a curtain cart into a back lane, join Widow Zuo's singing party, dance on the rafters, collapse drunk among the cushions, and spend the night carried off by her maids.

遵知飲酒飫宴有節，禮不入寡婦之門，而湛酒混餚，亂男女之別，輕辱爵位，羞污印□，惡不可忍聞。 He knows ritual forbids carousing in a widow's house, yet he drowned in wine, blurred the sexes, insulted his commission, and smeared the seal—conduct too foul to repeat.

遵既免，歸長安，賓客愈盛，飲食自若。 Both men were cashiered, yet Chen Zun's parties in Chang'an only grew wilder.

而遵晝夜呼號，車騎滿門，酒肉相屬。 Chen Zun howled night and day, jammed his gate with carriages, and stacked feast on feast.

遵大喜之，常謂張竦：「吾與爾猶是矣。 Chen Zun loved the parable and told Zhang Song, "That wineskin is you and me.

更始至長安，大臣薦遵為大司馬護軍，與歸德侯劉颯俱使匈奴。 Gengshi's court named Chen Zun marshal-guard to the Grand Marshal and sent him with Liu Sa of Guide marquisate as envoys to the shanyu.

單于欲脅詘遵，遵陳利害，為言曲直，單于大奇之，遣還。 The shanyu tried to break him; Chen Zun laid out every consequence until the ruler admired his nerve and sent him home.

會更始敗，遵留朔方，為賊所敗，時醉見殺。 When Gengshi collapsed Chen Zun stayed north, was overrun by raiders, and died drunk in the melee.