Chen Mi

Life

His birth year is generally given as 1171, although another account places it approximately in the thirtieth year of the Shaoxing era (1160); his death year is given as 1230, and he is also described as having died at sixty. He was the son of Chen Junqing, a grand councilor under Emperor Xiaozong, and his brothers included Chen Shou and Chen Ding. His wife was Liang Miaohui, and he had a son, Chen Gui, and a grandson, Chen Zan; Liang Kejia and Gong Zheng are also identified as fathers-in-law.

He studied with Zhu Xi in youth and later studied with Huang Gan; he also wrote prefaces for works by Lin Guangchao, Liang Kejia, and Huang Gan. Entering service through his father's hereditary privilege, he was appointed in 1197 to supervise the Nan'an salt tax in Quanzhou, served in the Southern and Western Outer Muzongyuan, and became magistrate of Anxi in 1210.

In the seventh year of Jiading (1214), he entered the Directorate of Palace Memorials, presented a forthright memorial on current abuses, was promoted to Military Equipment Office Supervisor, and submitted another memorial outlining three abuses; in the ninth year, after his remonstrance offended Shi Miyuan, he was sent out as governor of Nankang. After completing his term, he became governor of Nan Jian, where his administration included disaster relief and assistance to the people, and he founded Yanping Academy to support students; he was also described as a good and exemplary official.

In the seventeenth year of Jiading, he was appointed governor of Zhangzhou and, on hearing of Emperor Ningzong's death, requested retirement; in the second year of Baoqing he was appointed judicial commissioner for Guangdong, an office also styled the Guangnan Eastern Circuit Judicial Commissionerate, but submitted three memorials declining the appointment. His office history also includes 監都進奏院, 軍器監主簿, 主管往來國信所, 南京外宗正司, 敦宗院, and 西京外宗正司; he later served as 直秘閣主管崇禧觀. He died in the third year of Shaoding (1230) and was posthumously awarded 直龍圖閣.

Works

His writings include 《論語注義問答》, 《春秋三傳抄》 or 《春秋三傳鈔》, 《讀通鑑綱目》, and 《唐史贅疣》; his collected works appear under both 《復齋先生集》 and 《復齋先生龍圖陳公文集》. 《讀通鑑綱目》 is also given as 《續通鑑綱目》; the latter collection is specified in one account as twenty-three volumes and described elsewhere more generally as several dozen volumes.