Chen Yidian

Life and career

In 1579, he placed first in the Zhejiang provincial examination, becoming the jimao cohort’s jieyuan; in 1592, he earned the jinshi degree as tenth in the second class, was selected as a Shujishi, and appointed a compiler.

His offices included Shujishi, Compiler, Hanlin Academician, Zhongyun, and Shao Zhanshi. Accounts differ over his final office and the sequence of his appointments: one says that he reached Zhongyun, requested leave, and returned home, then was summoned as Shao Zhanshi at the beginning of the Chongzhen era but did not take office; another says that he reached Hanlin Reader-in-Waiting and was advanced to Shao Zhanshi in the middle of the Chongzhen era.

When news spread of a simultaneous enfeoffment of three princes, Chen submitted a remonstrance criticizing the palace establishment and blaming the chief ministers; the matter was halted, and he soon requested leave to return home. Recommended by Ye Xianggao, he was recalled as an academician but declined the appointment. At the beginning of the Tianqi era, he compiled the four juan of Shengzheng and Shengxue on the essentials of self-cultivation and family order in the Hongwu and Suxian periods and submitted them; the text stated that eunuchs must not interfere in government, an indirect admonition.

During the middle of the Chongzhen era, he was advanced to Shao Zhanshi, remained firm in his original resolve, and lived in retirement in his native place for more than thirty years until his death. He is also said to have lost his sight from an eye ailment in later life, returned home, and remained childless; the same account gives his age at death as eighty-five.

Writings

His prose was rich and well furnished, and his poetry was elegant and weighty. His works included 《讀左漫筆》, 《讀史漫筆》, and 《吏隱齋集》; 《陳學士先生初集》 was a thirty-six-juan work.

Literary relations

He wrote prefaces for works by Qi Jiguang, Feng Mengzhen, Xiang Yuanbian, Huang Hongxian, Tang Shunzhi, Shen Li, Jiao Hong, Shen Chaohuan, Che Daren, Fan Yingbin, and Chu Fu, and composed epitaphs for Lu Guangzu and Chen Yubei.