View source for Chen Shou

{{Short description|Chinese historian (233–297)}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Chen (surname)|Chen]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Chen Shou<br />{{lang|zh-Hant|陳壽}}
| image = 
| image_size = 
| alt = 
| caption = 
| birth_name = {{small|'''Family name''': Chén (陳)<br />'''Given name''': Shòu (壽)<br>'''[[Courtesy name]]''': Chéngzuò (承祚)}}
| birth_date = 233{{NoteTag|Chen Shou's biography in the ''Jin Shu'' mentioned that he died at the age of 65 (by [[East Asian age reckoning]]) in the 7th year of the Yuankang era (291–299) in the reign of [[Emperor Hui of Jin]].<ref name="Death year and age" /> By calculation, Chen Shou's birth year should be around 233.}}
| birth_place = [[Nanchong]], Baxi Commandery, [[Shu Han]]
| death_date = 297 (aged 64)<ref name="Death year and age" />
| death_place = [[Luoyang]], [[Henan Commandery]],  [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Jin Dynasty]]
| occupation = Historian, politician, writer
| notableworks = 
* ''[[Records of the Three Kingdoms]]''
* ''Memoirs of Zhuge Liang''
* ''Biographies of Famous People from Yi Province''
* ''Records of Ancient States''
* ''Dissertation on Bureaucracy''
* ''Explaining Taboos''
* ''Guang Guo Lun''
| relatives = {{unbulleted list|Chen Fu (nephew)|Chen Li (nephew)|Chen Jie (relative)}}
| years_active = 
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|t=陳壽 |s=陈寿 |p=Chén Shòu |w= |mi=|y=
|kanji=陳壽 |hiragana=ちん じゅ |romaji=Chin Ju
|hangul=진수 |hanja=陳壽 |rr=Jin Su |mr=
|vie=Trần Thọ
}}

'''Chen Shou''' ({{lang-zh |t = 陳壽 }}; 233–297<ref name="Death year and age" />), [[courtesy name]] '''Chengzuo''' ({{Lang|zh|承祚}}), was a Chinese [[historian]], politician, and writer who lived during the [[Three Kingdoms]] period and [[Jin dynasty (265–420)|Jin dynasty]] of China. Chen Shou is best known for his most celebrated work, the ''[[Records of the Three Kingdoms]]'' (''Sanguozhi''), which records the history of the late [[Eastern Han dynasty]] and the Three Kingdoms period. Chen Shou wrote the ''Sanguozhi'' primarily in the form of biographies of notable persons of those eras. Today, Chen's ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is part of the ''[[Twenty-Four Histories]]'' canon of Chinese history.

==Historical sources on Chen Shou's life==
There are two biographies of Chen Shou. The first one is in the ''[[Chronicles of Huayang]]'', which was written by [[Chang Qu]] in the fourth century during the [[Jin dynasty (265–420)|Eastern Jin dynasty]]. The second one is in the ''[[Book of Jin]]'', which was written by [[Fang Xuanling]] and others in the seventh century during the [[Tang dynasty]].

== Life ==
He started his career as an official in the state of [[Shu Han|Shu]] during the Three Kingdoms era but was demoted and sent out of the capital for his refusal to fawn on [[Huang Hao]], an influential court [[eunuch]] in Shu in its twilight years. After the [[Conquest of Shu by Wei|fall of Shu]] in 263, Chen Shou's career entered a period of stagnation before [[Zhang Hua]] recommended him to serve in the Jin government. He held mainly scribal and secretarial positions under the Jin government before dying from illness in 297. He had over 200 writings – about 30 of which he co-wrote with his relatives – attributed to him.<ref name="Chens Fu, Li and Jie" />

=== Early life and career in Shu Han ===
Chen Shou was from Anhan County (安漢縣), Baxi [[Commandery (China)|Commandery]] (巴西郡), which is in present-day [[Nanchong]], [[Sichuan]]. He was known for being studious since he was young and was described as intelligent, insightful and knowledgeable. He was mentored by the Shu official [[Qiao Zhou]], who was also from Baxi Commandery. Under Qiao Zhou's tutelage, he read the ''[[Classic of History]]'' and ''[[Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals]]''. He was very well versed in the ''[[Shiji|Records of the Grand Historian]]'' and ''[[Book of Han]]''.<ref>(少受學於散騎常侍譙周，治《尚書》、《三傳》，銳精《史》、《漢》。聰警敏識，屬文富豔。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

According to the ''Jin Shu'', Chen Shou served as a {{Transliteration|zh|guange lingshi}} (觀閣令史; a clerk) in Shu. However, the ''Huayang Guozhi'' mentioned that he held the following appointments consecutively: Registrar (主簿) of the General of the Guards (衛將軍); ''donguan mishu lang'' (東觀秘書郎; an official librarian); Gentleman of Scattered Cavalry (散騎侍郎); and Gentleman of the Yellow Gate (黃門侍郎).<ref>(初應州命，衛將軍主簿，東觀秘書郎，散騎、黃門侍郎。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref> In the final years of Shu ({{circa}} 250s–263), many officials fawned on [[Huang Hao]], an influential court [[eunuch]], in their bid to win his favour. Chen Shou's refusal to engage in such flattering and obsequious behaviour took a toll on his career: He was demoted on several occasions and sent out of the Shu capital, [[Chengdu]].<ref>(陳壽，字承祚，巴西安漢人也。少好學，師事同郡譙周，仕蜀為觀閣令史。宦人黃皓專弄威權，大臣皆曲意附之，壽獨不為之屈，由是屢被譴黜。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref>

=== Career in Jin dynasty ===
After the [[Conquest of Shu by Wei|fall of Shu]] in 263, Chen Shou's career entered a period of stagnation until [[Zhang Hua]] recommended him to serve in the government of the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Jin dynasty]]. Zhang Hua appreciated Chen Shou's talent and felt that even though Chen did not have an untarnished reputation, he did not deserve to be demoted and dismissed while he was in Shu. Chen Shou was recommended as a ''[[xiaolian]]'' (civil service candidate), and appointed as a ''zuo zhuzuo lang'' (佐著作郎; an assistant scribe) and the acting Prefect (令) of Yangping County (陽平縣). In 274, he collected and compiled the writings of [[Zhuge Liang]], the first [[Chancellor (China)|chancellor]] of Shu,<ref name="roberts946">Roberts 1991, p.&nbsp;946.</ref> and submitted them to the Jin imperial court. He was promoted to ''zhuzuo lang'' (著作郎; a scribe) and appointed as the ''zhongzheng'' (中正) of Baxi Commandery.<ref>(及蜀平，坐是沈滯者累年。司空張華愛其才，以壽雖不遠嫌，原情不至貶廢，舉為孝廉，除佐著作郎，出補陽平令。撰《蜀相諸葛亮集》，奏之。除著作郎，領本郡中正。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref> The ''Huayang Guozhi'' mentioned that he also served as the Chancellor (相) to the Marquis of Pingyang (平陽侯).<ref>(出為平陽侯相。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

When Zhang Hua recommended Chen Shou to serve as a Gentleman Palace Writer (中書郎), the [[Three Departments and Six Ministries|Ministry of Personnel]] appointed Chen Shou as the Administrator (太守) of Changguang Commandery (長廣郡) instead on the recommendation of [[Xun Xu]]. The ''Jin Shu'' mentioned that Xun Xu detested Zhang Hua and disliked Chen Shou for his association with Zhang Hua, so he urged the Ministry of Personnel to reassign Chen Shou to another position. Chen Shou declined the appointment on the grounds that he had to look after his elderly mother.<ref>(張華將舉壽為中書郎，荀勖忌華而疾壽，遂諷吏部遷壽為長廣太守。辭母老不就。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref> The ''Huayang Guozhi'' gave a different account of Chen Shou's relationship with Xun Xu. It stated that Xun Xu and Zhang Hua were very pleased with Chen Shou's ''Sanguozhi'' and they remarked that Chen Shou surpassed [[Ban Gu]] and [[Sima Qian]]. However, later, Xun Xu was displeased by the ''Wei Shu'' – one of the three sections in the ''Sanguozhi'' – and did not want Chen Shou to work in the same office as him, so he had Chen Shou reassigned to be the Administrator of Changguang.<ref>(中書監荀勗、令張華深愛之，班固、史遷不足方也。 ... 華表令兼中書郎。而壽《魏志》有失勗意，勗不欲其處內，表為長廣太守。)</ref>

In 278,<ref>''Zizhi Tongjian'' vol. 80.</ref> before the general [[Du Yu]] assumed his appointment as the commander of the Jin military forces in [[Jing Province]], he recommended Chen Shou to [[Emperor Wu of Jin|Emperor Wu]] and stated that Chen Shou was capable of serving as a Gentleman of the Yellow Gate (黃門侍郎) or Gentleman of Scattered Cavalry (散騎侍郎). Emperor Wu accepted Du Yu's suggestion and appointed Chen Shou as a ''yushi zhishu'' (御史治書; an auditor).<ref>(杜預將之鎮，複薦之於帝，宜補黃散。由是授御史治書。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref><ref>(鎮南將軍杜預表為散騎侍郎，詔曰：「昨適用蜀人壽良具員。且可以為侍御史。」) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

The ''Jin Shu'' mentioned that Chen Shou took a leave of absence when his mother died, and he fulfilled her dying wish to be buried in [[Luoyang]]. However, he ended up being castigated and demoted because his act of burying his mother in Luoyang – instead of in his hometown in Anhan County – was a violation of the proprieties of his time.<ref>(以母憂去職。母遺言令葬洛陽，壽遵其志。又坐不以母歸葬，竟被貶議。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref> The ''Huayang Guozhi'' gave a varying account of the events: It was Chen Shou's stepmother (not his biological mother) who died. She did not want to be buried together with his father (in Anhan County),<ref>(繼母遺令不附葬。以是見譏。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref> so Chen Shou buried her in Luoyang.

===Later years===
According to the ''Jin Shu'', many years after his demotion, Chen Shou was appointed as a ''zhongshuzi'' (中庶子; an aide) to the crown prince [[Sima Yu]], but he did not assume his role.<ref>(後數歲，起為太子中庶子，未拜。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref> He died of illness at the age of 65 (by [[East Asian age reckoning]]) in 297 during the reign of [[Emperor Hui of Jin|Emperor Hui]].<ref name="Death year and age">(元康七年，病卒，時年六十五。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref>

The ''Huayang Guozhi'' gave a different account of the events before Chen Shou's death. It stated that Chen Shou was appointed as a ''zhongshuzi'' to Sima Yu, but was reassigned to be a Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎常侍) again after the crown prince was deposed in 299.<ref name="ZZTJ 83">''Zizhi Tongjian'' vol. 83.</ref> Emperor Hui told Zhang Hua, "(Chen) Shou possesses genuine talent. He should not remain in his current appointment for long." Zhang Hua wanted to nominate Chen Shou to take up one of the posts of the [[Nine Ministers]], but lost his life in 300 CE during the [[War of the Eight Princes]].<ref name="ZZTJ 83" /> Chen Shou died in Luoyang later. His talents and achievements were not reflected in his status at the time of his death and many people felt that it was an injustice to him.<ref>(數歲，除太子中庶子。太子廢後，再兼散騎常侍。惠帝謂司空張華曰：「壽才宜真，不足久兼也。」華表欲登九卿，會受誅，忠賢排擯。壽遂卒洛下，位望不充其才，當時冤之。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref> The ''Huayang Guozhi'' account apparently suggests that Chen Shou died in 300 CE or after, which did not match his year of death mentioned in the ''Jin Shu'' account.

== ''Sanguozhi'' ==
[[File:A Fragment of Biography of Bu Zhi History Books of Three Kingdoms 02 2012-12.JPG|thumb|A fragment of the biography of [[Bu Zhi]] from the ''[[Records of the Three Kingdoms]]'', part of the [[Dunhuang manuscripts]]]]
[[File:Text of the Wei Zhi (魏志), 297.jpg|thumb|Text of the ''Wei Zhi'' (魏志, ''Records of Wei''), which documents the history of [[Cao Wei]], written circa 297]]

Sometime in the third century after 280,<ref>(吳平後，壽乃鳩合三國史，著魏、吳、蜀三書六十五篇，號《三國志》 ... ) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref> Chen Shou wrote his [[magnum opus]]: the 65-volume ''Sanguozhi'' (''[[Records of the Three Kingdoms]]''), which records the history of the late [[Eastern Han dynasty]] and the [[Three Kingdoms]] period. The text was divided into three sections – ''Book of [[Cao Wei|Wei]]'' (魏書), ''Book of [[Shu Han|Shu]]'' (蜀書) and ''Book of [[Eastern Wu|Wu]]'' (吳書) – and was composed of mainly biographies of notable persons in those eras.

Chen Shou received acclaim from his contemporaries for his work and was praised as an excellent historian. Around the time, another historian, Xiahou Zhan (夏侯湛), was writing his own ''Book of Wei'' (魏書; ''Wei Shu''), which recorded the history of Wei in the Three Kingdoms era. He destroyed his work after reading Chen Shou's ''Sanguozhi''. Zhang Hua was so deeply impressed with the ''Sanguozhi'' that he told Chen Shou, "We should entrust the responsibility of writing the ''[[Book of Jin]]'' to you." Chen Shou was highly regarded as such after he wrote the ''Sanguozhi''.<ref>(撰魏吳蜀《三國志》，凡六十五篇。時人稱其善敘事，有良史之才。夏侯湛時著《魏書》，見壽所作，便壞己書而罷。張華深善之，謂壽曰：「當以《晉書》相付耳。」其為時所重如此。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref>

== Controversies ==
Despite his achievements, Chen Shou faced accusations and other controversies. The ''Jin Shu'' mentioned two controversies surrounding Chen Shou and his writing of the ''Sanguozhi,'' which his critics used to disparage him.<ref>(議者以此少之。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref> Tang Geng (唐庚), a scholar from the [[Song dynasty]], in his work called the ''Three Kingdoms Miscellaneous Cases'' (三國雜事; ''Sanguo Zashi'') also criticised Chen Shou as a historian for two reasons.

=== Extorting grain ===
The first one was about Chen Shou attempting to extort 1,000 [[Chinese units of measurement#Chinese volume units promulgated in 1915|''hu'']]{{NoteTag|''Hu'' (斛) was an ancient Chinese unit of measurement of weight. Depending on the historical era, it could be equivalent to 5 or 10 ''dou'' (斗). 1 ''dou'' was equivalent to 120 ''[[Catty|jin]]''. 1 ''jin'' ranges from 500g to about 605g by modern standards.}} of grain from the sons of [[Ding Yi (Han dynasty)|Ding Yi]] (丁儀) and his younger brother Ding Yi (丁廙){{NoteTag|The younger Ding Yi's name was erroneously recorded as "Ding Hao" (丁暠) in the ''Jin Shu''.}} – two officials in Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He promised them that he would write biographies for their fathers in the ''Sanguozhi'' if they gave him the grain, but they refused, so he did not write the biographies. However, the ''Jin Shu'' prefaced the anecdote with the term ''huoyun'' (或云), which meant "rumours".<ref>(或雲丁儀、丁暠有盛名於魏，壽謂其子曰：「可覓千斛米見與，當為尊公作佳傳。」丁不與之，竟不為立傳。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref>

The [[Qing dynasty]] writer Pan Mei (潘眉) rebutted the ''Jin Shu'''s account about Chen Shou attempting to extort from the Dings and called it "uninformed". He disproved the claim that the Ding brothers were very famous officials in Wei by pointing out that they had neither held important appointments nor made any significant achievements. Pan also felt that a historian was clearly justified if he decided to not write biographies for the Ding brothers, because, in his opinion, the Dings had committed grievous sins – instigating [[sibling rivalry]] and causing instability in the Wei imperial clan{{NoteTag|The Ding brothers were close associates of [[Cao Zhi]], a younger brother of Wei's founding emperor, [[Cao Pi]]. In the mid 210s, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi engaged in a power struggle over the succession to [[Cao Cao|their father]]'s place. The contention concluded in 217 with victory for Cao Pi, who executed the Dings after he ascended the throne in 220.}} – which made them unworthy of having biographies in historical records. Pan further noted that there were also other notable persons in Wei (e.g. [[Chen Lin (Han dynasty)|Chen Lin]], [[Wu Zhi]] and [[Yang Xiu (Han dynasty)|Yang Xiu]]) who did not have biographies in the ''Sanguozhi'', so being notable did not mean that a person should have a biography written for him. His concluding remarks on this issue were that the ''Jin Shu'' made a malicious claim (about Chen Shou).<ref>(誅丁儀丁廙<br>《晉書‧陳壽傳》雲：丁廙有盛名於魏。壽謂其子曰：「可覓千斛米見與，當為尊公作佳傳。」丁不與之，竟不為立傳。按丁儀﹑丁廙，官不過右刺姦掾及黃門侍郎，外無摧鋒接刃之功，內無升堂廟勝之效，黨於陳思王，冀搖冢嗣，啟衅骨肉，事既不成，刑戮隨之，斯實魏朝罪人，不得立傳明矣。《晉史》謂索米不得不為立傳，此最無識之言。同時如徐幹、陳琳、阮瑀、應瑒、應璩、劉楨、吳質、邯鄲淳、繁欽、路粹、楊脩皆無傳，益足證《晉史》之誣。) ''Sanguozhi Kaozheng'' vol. 5.</ref>

=== Bias ===
The second one suggested that Chen Shou held personal grudges against the Shu [[Chancellor (China)|chancellor]] [[Zhuge Liang]] and his son [[Zhuge Zhan]], hence he wrote negative comments about them in the ''Sanguozhi''. Chen Shou's father{{NoteTag|The identity of Chen Shou's father is unknown.}} was a military adviser to the Shu general [[Ma Su]]. When Ma Su was executed by Zhuge Liang after his failure at the [[Battle of Jieting]] in 228, Chen Shou's father was implicated and sentenced to ''kun'' (髡), a punishment involving the shaving of a person's head. Zhuge Zhan belittled Chen Shou before. When Chen Shou wrote the biographies of Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Zhan in the ''Sanguozhi'', he commented on them as follows: Military leadership was not Zhuge Liang's forte, and he lacked the resourcefulness of a brilliant military leader; Zhuge Zhan excelled only in literary arts, and he had an exaggerated reputation.<ref>(壽父為馬謖參軍，謖為諸葛亮所誅，壽父亦坐被髡，諸葛瞻又輕壽。壽為亮立傳，謂亮將略非長，無應敵之才，言瞻惟工書，名過其實。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref>

The [[Qing dynasty]] writer [[Zhao Yi]] refuted the ''Jin Shu'' claim that Chen Shou was prejudiced against Zhuge Liang in the ''Sanguozhi'', and remarked that the claim was "an uninformed statement". He commented that military leadership did not necessarily have to be regarded as Zhuge Liang's forte because Zhuge also made outstanding achievements in other fields. Zhao also pointed out two pieces of evidence which contradict the ''Jin Shu'' claim: Chen Shou gave highly positive comments about Zhuge Liang's ability as a politician in the ''Zhuge Liang Collection'' and in his personal commentary at the end of Zhuge's biography in the ''Sanguozhi''. Zhao Yi's concluding remarks on this issue were that Chen Shou had clearly identified Zhuge Liang's strengths and weaknesses in his appraisal of Zhuge Liang in the ''Sanguozhi''.<ref>(陳壽論諸葛亮<br>陳壽傳（晉書）「壽父為馬謖參軍，謖為諸葛亮所誅，壽父亦被髡（刑罰，剃髮也），故壽為亮傳，謂將略非所長。」此真無識之論也！<br>亮之不可及處，原不必以用兵見長。<br>觀壽校定諸葛集表，言「亮科教嚴明，賞罰必信，無惡不懲，無善不顯。至於吏不容奸，人懷自勵。至今梁、益之民，雖甘棠之詠召公，鄭人之歌子產，無以過也。」<br>又亮傳後評曰「亮之為治也，開誠心，布公道，善無微而不賞，惡無纖而不貶。終於邦域之內，咸畏而愛之。刑政雖峻而無怨者，以其用心平而勸戒明也。」<br>其頌孔明，可謂獨見其大矣！) ''Ershi'er Shi Zhaji'' vol. 6.</ref>

=== Claim that Shu Han lacked a historical bureau ===
Chen Shou in the biography of Liu Shan wrote that the state of Shu Han did not have a historical bureau or department, justifying the pitiful condition of the biography of their officials.<ref>(又國不置史，注記無官，是以行事多遺，災異靡書。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 33.</ref> Tang Geng cast doubt on this claim, remarking that although ancient texts advised to have one scribe write every word of his sovereign while another writes every action, those were merely hyperbolic terms. He provides past examples of people combining their role as historian alongside other function of the government. Furthermore, when the ''[[Rites of Zhou]]'' (pre-1st century BC) was written, even local warlords would have a historical bureau, so for Shu Han to suddenly lack one is suspect. Finally, he points out that Chen Shou contradicts the statement in the same biography when he wrote "the Historical Bureau (史官) reported the sighting of a brilliant star,"<ref>(史官言景星見，於是大赦，改年。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 33.</ref> just three paragraphs later.<ref>(《礼记》人君言则左史书之，动则右史书之。《周礼》建官备矣，独不闻有所谓左右史者。虽有太史，然不以注记为职。是时诸侯皆有史，岂天子独阙乎？春秋之时，卜田宅者、占云日者，皆称太史，则太史殆阴阳家流。然书赵盾者、书崔杼者，亦称太史，则太史又似掌注记者。盖方是时，学者通知天卜，而卜兴废者亦不甚用蓍龟。太史伯以祝融之功而推楚国之必兴，太史赵以虞舜之德而占陈氏之未亡。其论议证据有绝人者，故阴阳注记得兼掌之。汉司马谈父子为太史令，以论著为己任，而又掌天官，则兼掌之效于兹可见。魏晋之际，始署著作郎，自是太史之职分而为二。孔明之时未也。按后主景耀元年，史官奏景星见，于是大赦改元，而曰蜀不置史，妄矣。) ''Three Kingdoms Miscellaneous Cases''</ref>

=== Referring to Liu Bei and Liu Shan's state as Shu rather than Han ===
Tang Geng commented that since the ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'' until his own time, every state in official history is referred to by the name they used no matter their circumstances as it was basic decency to do so. However, Chen Shou was the sole historian who made an exception for Shu Han. Throughout its existence, Liu Bei and Liu Shan always used the name "Han" for their state since they were positioning themselves as a continuation of the [[Han dynasty]]. While "[[Shu (kingdom)|Shu]]" was a geographical term for where their state was based in, it was also a derisive name used by the Wei and Jin dynasties to discredit their claim of continuing the Han. Chen Shou opted to use the name "Shu" in his works, which in Tang Geng's view, was a deliberate neglect of impartiality to appease his patrons and personal animosity.

To contrast, he brought up a similar situation during the [[Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period]], where the [[Southern Tang]] was called Wu and the [[Northern Han]] was called Jin in derogative manners. Yet, historical documents still refer to them by their respective self titles. Tang Geng then laments that recently, someone had used Chen Shou's works as an example to convince a historian to not record the events he considered minor.<ref>(上自司马迁《史记》，下至《五代史》，其间数千百年，正统偏霸与夫僭窃乱贼，甚微至弱之国，外至蛮夷戎狄之邦，史家未有不书其国号者，而《三国志》独不然。刘备父子相继四十馀年，始终号汉，未尝一称蜀；其称蜀，俗流之语耳。陈寿黜其正号，从其俗称，循魏晋之私意，废史家之公法。用意如此，则其所书善恶褒贬予夺，尚可信乎！魏晋之世，称备为蜀，犹五代称李璟为吴，称刘崇为晋矣。今《五代史》作南唐、东汉世家，未尝以吴、晋称之，独陈寿如此，初无义例，直徇好恶耳。往时欧阳文忠公作《五代史》，王荆公曰：‘五代之事无足采者，此何足烦公；三国可喜事甚多，悉为陈寿所坏，可更为之。’公然其言，竟不暇作也，惜哉！) ''Three Kingdoms Miscellaneous Cases''</ref>

==Other works==
According to the ''Jin Shu'', Chen Shou collected and compiled the writings of [[Zhuge Liang]] during his early career under the Jin dynasty. The compiled text was called ''Shu Xiang Zhuge Liang Ji'' (蜀相諸葛亮集; ''Collection of the Shu Chancellor Zhuge Liang'').<ref>(撰《蜀相諸葛亮集》，奏之。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref> The ''Huayang Guozhi'' mentioned that later on, [[Zhang Hua]] proposed to [[Emperor Wu of Jin|Emperor Wu]] to have the text reorganized and composed as a 24-volumes. At the time, [[Shou Liang]] was also doing his own research on Zhuge Liang's works, with his outcome quite different from Chen Shou's original version. In the end, the text was rewritten, and became the ''Zhuge Liang Gushi'' (諸葛亮故事; ''Memoirs of Zhuge Liang'').<ref>(華又表令次定《諸葛亮故事》，集為二十四篇。時壽良亦集，故頗不同。復入為著作。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

Since the end of the Jianwu era (25–56 CE) in the [[Eastern Han dynasty]], writers such as Zheng Boyi (鄭伯邑), Zhao Yanxin (趙彥信), Chen Shenbo (陳申伯), Zhu Yuanling (祝元靈) and [[Wang Shang (Eastern Han)|Wang Wenbiao]] (王文表) had co-written the ''Bashu Qijiu Zhuan'' (巴蜀耆舊傳; ''Biographies of Famous People from Bashu''). Chen Shou felt that the ''Bashu Qijiu Zhuan'' was not comprehensive enough, so he expanded it to the 10-volume ''Yibu Qijiu Zhuan'' (益部耆舊傳; ''Biographies of Famous People from [[Yi Province]]'').{{NoteTag|The book was called ''Yidu Qijiu Zhuan'' (益都耆舊傳; ''Biographies of Famous People from Yi Province's Capital'') in the ''Jin Shu''.}}<ref name="Jin Shu: Chen Shou's other works">(壽又撰《古國志》五十篇、《益都耆舊傳》十篇，余文章傳於世。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref> His work was presented by the official [[Wen Li (Shu Han)|Wen Li]] (文立) to Emperor Wu, who praised it.<ref>(益部自建武後，蜀郡鄭伯邑、太尉趙彥信，及漢中陳申伯、祝元靈，廣漢王文表，皆以博學洽聞，作《巴蜀耆舊傳》。壽以為不足經遠，乃並巴漢撰為《益部耆舊傳》十篇。散騎常侍文立表呈其《傳》，武帝善之。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

Other writings by Chen Shou include: the 50-volume ''Gu Guo Zhi'' (古國志; ''Records of Ancient States''), which received high praise;<ref name="Jin Shu: Chen Shou's other works" /><ref>(... 又著《古國志》五十篇；品藻典雅。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref> the 7-volume ''Guansi Lun'' (官司論; ''Dissertation on Bureaucracy''), which used historical examples to discuss reforms; ''Shi Yi'' (釋諱; ''Explaining Taboos''); ''Guang Guo Lun'' (廣國論);<ref>(上《官司論》七篇，依據典故，議所因革。又上《釋諱》、《廣國論》。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref> ''Wei Mingchen Zou'' (魏名臣奏; ''Memorials by Notable Officials of [[Cao Wei]]'').<ref>{{cite book
|editor=Wei Zheng
|editor-link=Wei Zheng
|title=隋書
|trans-title=[[Book of Sui]]
|orig-year=636
|location=Beijing
|publisher=Zhonghua Publishing
|year=1973
|display-editors=etal
|chapter='''33''': 志第28 經籍二
|page=973}}</ref>

==Family and relatives==
Chen Fu (陳符), whose [[courtesy name]] was Changxin (長信), was the son of Chen Shou's elder brother. He was also known for his literary talent and he succeeded his uncle as an Assistant Gentleman of Writing. He also served as the Prefect (令) of Shanglian County (上廉縣).<ref>(兄子符，字長信，亦有文才，繼壽著作佐郎，上廉令。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

Chen Fu's younger brother, Chen Li (陳蒞), whose courtesy name was Shudu (叔度), served as an Attendant Officer (別駕) in [[Liang Province]] and later under [[Sima You]], the Prince of Qi (齊王) and General of Agile Cavalry (驃騎將軍). He also died in [[Luoyang]].<ref>(符弟蒞，字叔度，梁州別駕，驃騎將軍齊王辟掾，卒洛下。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

Chen Li had a younger relative, Chen Jie (陳階), whose courtesy name was Dazhi (達之). Chen Jie assumed the following appointments: Registrar (主簿) of the governor of [[Yi Province]]; ''baozhongling'' (褒中令); West Commandant (西部都尉) of Yongchang Commandery (永昌郡); Administrator (太守) of Jianning (建寧) and Xinggu (興古) commanderies. Chen Jie was also well known for his literary talent.<ref>(蒞從弟階，字達之，州主簿，察孝廉，褒中令，永昌西部都尉，建寧、興古太守。階辭章粲麗，馳名當世。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

Chen Fu, Chen Li and Chen Jie each wrote more than 10 works out of the over 200 writings attributed to Chen Shou.<ref name="Chens Fu, Li and Jie">(凡壽所述作二百餘篇，符、蒞、階各數十篇。二州先達及華夏文士多為作傳，大較如此。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

== Anecdotes ==
=== Filial mourning period ===
The ''Jin Shu'' mentioned that Chen Shou fell sick during the [[Filial mourning (China)|filial mourning]] period after his father's death. Some guests who visited his home expressed disapproval when they saw him being served medicine by his servants, because he was expected to lead an austere life during that period. His fellow townsfolk criticised him when they heard about it.<ref>(遭父喪，有疾，使婢丸藥，客往見之，鄉黨以為貶議。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref>

===Conflict with Li Xiang===
According to the ''Huayang Guozhi'', Chen Shou was a close friend of [[Li Xiang (Shu Han)|Li Xiang]], courtesy name was Shulong (叔龍), from Zitong Commandery (梓潼郡). Li Xiang was famous for his talent and capacity, his reputation was similar to Chen Shou. He was recommended as a ''xiucai'' (秀才) and served as a Gentleman of Writing (尚書郎). He was reassigned to be the Administrator (太守) of Jianping Commandery (建平郡), but he declined the appointment and claimed that he was ill because he wanted to remain in his home province. He was then appointed as the Administrator of Guanghan Commandery (廣漢郡 around present-day [[Guanghan]], [[Sichuan]]). Relations between Chen Shou and Li Xiang deteriorated and they started making false accusations against each other. Other officials scorned them for their petty quarrels.<ref>(時梓潼李驤叔龍，亦雋逸器，知名當世。舉秀才，尚書郎。拜建平太守，以疾辭不就，意在州里。除廣漢太守。初與壽齊望，又相昵友。後與壽情好攜隙，還相誣攻。有識以是短之。) ''Huayang Guozhi'' vol. 11. 08.</ref>

===Qiao Zhou's advice to Chen Shou===
According to the ''Jin Shu'', Chen Shou's mentor, [[Qiao Zhou]], often told Chen, "You'll become famous for your talent. However, it might not be a misfortune if you encounter any setback. You should be more mindful about what you do." [[Fang Xuanling]] remarked that Chen Shou's experiences – being demoted and humiliated when he was in Shu, and again while he was serving under the Jin dynasty – fitted what Qiao Zhou said about him.<ref>(初，譙周嘗謂壽曰：「卿必以才學成名，當被損折，亦非不幸也。宜深慎之。」壽至此，再致廢辱，皆如周言。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref>

==Appraisal==
[[Chang Qu]], who wrote Chen Shou's biography in the ''[[Chronicles of Huayang]]'' (''Huayang Guo Zhi''),{{NoteTag|Chen Shou's biography is recorded in the eleventh volume of the ''Huayang Guo Zhi'', titled ''Biographies of later worthies'' (後賢志), covering the life of notable persons from the [[Sichuan]] region who lived during the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Jin dynasty]].}} appraised Chen Shou as follows: "Learn from the past, promote and consolidate those reflections."<ref>(太子中庶子陳壽承祚：庶子稽古，遷、固並聲。) ''Huayang Guo Zhi'' vol. 11. 01.</ref>

==Legacy==
{{see also|Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms}}

After Chen Shou's death, the official Fan Jun (范頵) and others wrote a memorial to [[Emperor Hui of Jin|Emperor Hui]]: "In the past, [[Emperor Wu of Han]] issued an imperial decree: '[[Sima Xiangru]] is critically ill. Retrieve his writings.' The emissary who collected Sima Xiangru's writings told Emperor Wu about the ''[[Mount Tai#History|fengshan]]'' ceremonies, which were mentioned in Sima's writings. The emperor was very surprised. We, Your Majesty's subjects, propose: The late ''zhishu shi yushi'' Chen Shou wrote the ''Sanguozhi'', which contains good advice and evaluates successes and failures. It is beneficial to promoting culture. Even though its writing style is not comparable to the works of (Sima) Xiangru, its message is simpler and clearer. We hope that it can be collected and reproduced." Emperor Hui approved and issued an imperial decree ordering the [[Intendant of Henan]] (河南尹) and Prefect of Luoyang (洛陽令) to send scribes to Chen Shou's house and copy the ''Sanguozhi''.<ref>(梁州大中正、尚書郎范頵等上表曰：「昔漢武帝詔曰：'司馬相如病甚，可遣悉取其書。」使者得其遺書，言封禪事，天子異焉。臣等案：故治書侍御史陳壽作《三國志》，辭多勸誡，明乎得失，有益風化，雖文豔不若相如，而質直過之，願垂採錄。」於是詔下河南尹、洛陽令，就家寫其書。) ''Jin Shu'' vol. 82.</ref>

In the fifth century, [[Emperor Wen of Song|Emperor Wen]] of the [[Liu Song dynasty]] felt that Chen Shou's ''Sanguozhi'' was too short and not comprehensive enough, so he commissioned [[Pei Songzhi]] to annotate the ''Sanguozhi''. Pei Songzhi completed his assignment in 429. He included new materials he collected through research, and added his personal commentary. Pei Songzhi's annotations increased the length of the ''Sanguozhi'' to nearly twice its original.

===Wanjuanlou===
The Wanjuanlou ({{lang-zh|first=t|t=萬卷樓|s=万卷楼|p=Wànjuànlóu|l=tower of 10,000 volumes of writings|labels=no}}) – a tourist attraction in the Xishan Scenic Spot, [[Shunqing District]], [[Nanchong]], [[Sichuan]] – is named the source of the culture of the [[Three Kingdoms]] period by the Sichuan provincial government. The tower was constructed in the early third century (222–237) during the Three Kingdoms era. It was also the place where Chen Shou studied in his early life. It was destroyed in the 1960s after years of neglect, but was rebuilt in 1990 by the Chinese government at a cost of four million yuan.

The present tower, which covers an area of 2,400 square metres, consists of three main attractions – the Reading Tower of Chen Shou, the Chen Shou Memorial Hall, and Collecting Books Tower.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nanchong, Real Source of Culture of Three Kingdoms|url=http://www.sc.gov.cn/10462/10758/10760/10765/2013/9/4/10275486.shtml|website=Sichuan Provincial People's Government|publisher=General Office, Sichuan Provincial People's Government|access-date=20 June 2014}}</ref> The tower has on display a collection of writings, illustrations, objects and photographs related to Chen Shou's life, his works and his legacy.<ref>{{cite web |title = Wanjuan Tower |url = http://www.sichuan-tour.com/about-sichuan3.php?id=9303 |website = sichuan-tour-com |publisher = China Chengdu Greatway Tour Co., Ltd. |access-date = 20 June 2014 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms]]
* ''[[Records of the Three Kingdoms]]''
* ''[[Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms]]''

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* [[Chang Qu|Chang, Qu]] ({{circa|4th century}}). ''[[Chronicles of Huayang]]'' (''Huayang Guozhi'').
* [[Fang Xuanling|Fang, Xuanling]] (ed.) (648). ''[[Book of Jin]]'' (''Jin Shu'').
* Pan, Mei ({{circa|19th century}}). ''Sanguozhi Kaozheng'' (三國志考證; ''Research on the Records of the Three Kingdoms'').
* {{cite book |last = Luo |first = Guanzhong |author-link = Luo Guanzhong |title = Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel |volume = IV |translator-last = Roberts |translator-first = Moss |publisher = Foreign Languages Press |year = 2007 |location = Beijing |ISBN = 978-7-119-00590-4 }}
* [[Sima Guang|Sima, Guang]] (1084). ''[[Zizhi Tongjian]]''.
* [[Zhao Yi|Zhao, Yi]] (1795). ''Ershi'er Shi Zhaji'' (二十二史劄記; ''Notes on the Twenty-Two Histories'').
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{wikisource|works=or}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id =31454|name = Shou Chen }}

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{{Jin dynasty historians}}
{{People of Shu |state = collapsed }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Shou}}
[[Category:233 births]]
[[Category:297 deaths]]
[[Category:3rd-century Chinese historians]]
[[Category:Historians from Sichuan]]
[[Category:Jin dynasty (266–420) historians]]
[[Category:Jin dynasty (266–420) government officials]]
[[Category:People of the Three Kingdoms]]
[[Category:Politicians from Nanchong]]
[[Category:Shu Han government officials]]
[[Category:Writers from Nanchong]]
[[Category:Biographers of ancient people]]