The 'Chen Shu' (Chinese: 《陳書》; "Book of Chen") is a thirty-six-volume official dynastic history compiled during the Tang dynasty by Yao Siliang. It records the history of the Southern Chen dynasty, one of the short-lived kingdoms of southern China during the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern and Southern dynasties periods. Commissioned as part of a broader effort to standardize historical records, the 'Chen Shu' was completed after years of laborious compilation under imperial mandate, reflecting the rigorous historiographical practices of the Tang court.

The project began during the reign of Emperor Taizong (r. 627–649) and faced significant delays due to its complexity. According to Liu Zhiji's 'Shi Tong' (c. 710), the work took nine years to complete, though this timeline conflicts with earlier records attributed to Yao Cha, father of Yao Siliang, who had initially documented events related to the Liang dynasty and Chen. Siliang inherited his father's unfinished work, which was interrupted by Yao Cha's death during the Sui-Tang transition. In 624, Emperor Gaozu of Tang formally ordered him to compile the 'Chen Shu', a task completed and submitted in 631 (the third year of Zhen Guan) after further revisions. The final draft was presented on January 4, 638, underscoring the prolonged effort involved in its creation.

The 'Chen Shu' is notable for synthesizing earlier private historical works into a state-sanctioned narrative. Liu Zhiji noted that early contributors included Yao Cha and scholars such as Gu Yewang, Fu Gai, and Lu Qiong. These authors' materials were compiled by Yao Cha and later expanded upon by his son. However, the final text credits only Yao Siliang as editor, omitting direct acknowledgment of predecessors like Gu Yewang and Fu Gai—a decision criticized for its historical oversight. For instance, while the 'Chen Shu' includes detailed biographies of these scholars, it fails to explicitly attribute their earlier histories to the compilation process, leading Liu Zhiji to question the accuracy of such omissions.

The structure of the 'Chen Shu' deviates from traditional models by omitting a separate "Preface" or "Biographies of Historians," as official projects were deemed superior to private works and thus did not require justification for diverging from conventional formats. Only two volumes—chapters 27 and 28—are explicitly attributed to Yao Cha; the remainder reflect Siliang's contributions, particularly in organizing biographical entries with consistent structure. This contrasted sharply with his earlier 'Book of Liang', where inconsistencies in narrative style were more pronounced.

Criticism of the 'Chen Shu' centers on its moral and political judgments. Scholars have noted the inclusion of figures who surrendered to the Sui, such as Jiang Zong, whose biographies appear despite his collaboration with a regime that ended Chen's rule. Liu Zhiji criticized this as a failure to apply historiographical rigor, particularly in the case of Jiang Zong, who is posthumously praised in Siliang's text despite being lampooned by later poets like Li Shangyin. The inclusion of Jiang Zong's son alongside his biography further exacerbated perceptions of partiality, suggesting a personal rather than impartial historical stance.

Chronological discrepancies in the 'Chen Shu''s biographies also drew scrutiny. While such inaccuracies were common across contemporary histories, they remain notable for undermining its credibility as an authoritative record. Despite these flaws, the work endures as one of the few surviving comprehensive accounts of the Chen dynasty's brief 32-year reign (557–589), offering critical insights into governance, military conflicts, and cultural developments in late Southern China.

The 'Chen Shu' was included in the Siku Quanshu compilation of Qing-era scholarship and remains a foundational text for studying the Tang dynasty's historiographical projects. Its blend of inherited materials, imperial oversight, and editorial challenges underscores its role as both a product of statecraft and an artifact of early Chinese historical practice.

References

• 《四庫全書總目提要·卷45 史部·正史類》

《陳書》是一本紀傳體史書，唐朝人姚思廉所著，凡三十六卷，記南朝陳朝史。記載自陳武帝陳霸先即位至陳後主陳叔寶亡國前後三十三年間的史實，成書于貞觀十年（636年）。

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