Chen Fan 陳蕃
| Occupation | RNOfficial · Grand Tutor | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Runan Commandery | |
| Cause of death | RKilled NKilled Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R5 |
Profile
Chen Fan appears as Grand Tutor at the opening of Chapter 1 of the Romance. The Romance writes that Emperor Huan barred upright scholars from office and trusted only the eunuchs, and that when Emperor Huan died and Emperor Ling took the throne, the General-in-Chief Dou Wu and the Grand Tutor Chen Fan together assisted the emperor. Romance, Ch. 1 §3
When Cao Jie and other eunuchs wielded power, Dou Wu and Chen Fan planned to kill them, but the plan leaked out and they were harmed instead. The Romance cites this episode while saying that the disorder of the realm began with the two emperors Huan and Ling, and writes that from this time the eunuchs grew ever more arrogant. Romance, Ch. 1 §2–3
Of the 120 chapters of the Romance he appears only in Chapter 1, and no chapter has his name in its title. He does not appear in Chen Shou's main text and is recorded only in Pei Songzhi's commentary. Romance, Ch. 1 §3
In the Romance
Chapter 1 of the Romance opens with the saying that the great trend of the realm is that what has long been divided must unite and what has long been united must divide, tells how the Han finally split into three, and then says that if one traces the causes of the disorder, they began with the two emperors Huan and Ling. Emperor Huan barred upright scholars from office and trusted only the eunuchs. When Emperor Huan dies and Emperor Ling takes the throne, the General-in-Chief Dou Wu and the Grand Tutor Chen Fan together assist the emperor. Romance, Ch. 1 §2–3
At that time, as Cao Jie and other eunuchs wield power, Dou Wu and Chen Fan plan to kill them, but the plan leaks out and they are harmed instead. The Romance writes that from this time the eunuchs grew ever more arrogant, and goes on to list ill omens, beginning with the green serpent that came down onto the throne in the Hall of Wende in the 4th month of the 2nd year of Jianning (169). When the emperor asks the reason for the calamities and portents, the Court Gentleman Consultant Cai Yong submits a memorial saying that the falling rainbow and the transformed hen were caused by women and eunuchs meddling in government. Romance, Ch. 1 §3–5
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
There is no record in the main text of Chen Shou’s Records, so only the Romance score is given.
- LEA31
- STR31
- INT40
- POL52
- CHA45
- VIR70
- ADP30
- SCH45
- DIP38
- DIS40
Evidence by ability
NNo direct recordCh. 1 §3
NNo direct recordCh. 1 §3
NPlanned to kill the eunuchs, but the plan leaked outCh. 1 §3
NAssisted Emperor Ling as Grand Tutor together with Dou WuCh. 1 §3
NNo direct recordCh. 1 §3
NSought to do away with the eunuchs who wielded powerCh. 1 §3
NThe plan leaked out and he was harmed insteadCh. 1 §3
NNo direct record — estimated from his post as Grand TutorCh. 1 §3
NNo direct recordCh. 1 §3
NNo direct recordCh. 1 §3
Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →