Wang Chen (died June or July 266 CEAccording to Sima Yan's biography in ''Book of Jin'', Wang Chen died on the ''renzi'' day of the 5th month of the 2nd year of the ''Taishi'' era of Sima Yan's reign. 泰始二年)夏五月壬子，骠骑将军博陵公王沈卒。''Jin Shu'', vol. 03. However, there is no ''renzi'' day in that month. Wang Chen most likely died within that month, which corresponds to 20 June to 19 July 266 on the proleptic Gregorian calendar.),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...

Chudao, was a Chinese historian, military general, and politician of the state of

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' < Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period of China. After the Wei regime ended in 265, he continued serving in the government of the

Jin dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty (; ) or the Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the (司馬晉) or the (兩晉), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had p ...

. He wrote a five-volume text known as the ''Wang Chudao Collection'' (王處道集) or ''Wang Chen Collection'' (王沈集), which is already lost over the course of history. He also wrote 14 chapters of the ''Quan Jin Wen'' (全晉文).

Life

Wang Chen was from Jinyang County (晉陽縣),

Taiyuan Commandery Taiyuan Commandery ( zh, 太原郡) was a commandery of China from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. It was located in modern central Shanxi province. The commandery was established by the Qin state in 248 BC, after Qin general Meng A ...

(太原郡), which is located southwest of present-day Taiyuan,

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-leve ...

. His father Wang Ji (王機) died early so he was raised by his uncle, Wang Chang, who served as the Minister of Works (司空) in the Wei government. He was known for his literary talent and was employed by the regent Cao Shuang as a secretary. He was promoted to the position of a Gentleman Attendant (侍郎) later. In 249, after Cao Shuang was ousted from power by

Sima Yi Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He formally began his political career in 208 un ...

, his co-regent, Wang Chen initially lost his appointment but was later restored to the civil service as a Palace Attendant (侍中). He co-wrote the 44-volume historical text ''Book of Wei'' (魏書) with Xun Yi and Ruan Ji. The Wei emperor Cao Mao, who was fond of reading, called Wang Chen a "Master of Literature" (文籍先生). In 260, when Cao Mao planned to launch a coup to seize back power from the regent

Sima Zhao Sima Zhao () (211 – 6 September 265), courtesy name Zishang, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Sima Zhao capably maintained control of Wei, which had been ...

, he summoned Wang Chen, Wang Ye and Wang Jing to meet him in private and discuss their plans. However, Wang Chen and Wang Ye reported the plot to Sima Zhao instead, and Cao Mao ended up being assassinated by Sima Zhao's men. After Cao Mao's death, Sima Zhao awarded Wang Chen the title "Marquis of Anping" (安平侯) and 2,000 taxable households in his marquisate. In 266, after Sima Yan (Emperor Wu), Sima Zhao's son, ended the state of Wei and established the Jin dynasty, Wang Chen continued to serve in the Jin government and held the appointments of a Master of Writing (尚書) and a Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎常侍). He died later that year and was posthumously awarded the title of a commandery duke (郡公).

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220� ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Fang, Xuanling (648). ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Chen Year of birth unknown 266 deaths 3rd-century Chinese historians Cao Wei generals Cao Wei historians Cao Wei politicians Jin dynasty (266–420) generals Jin dynasty (266–420) historians Jin dynasty (266–420) politicians

Life

See also

References