kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

State of Chen

1046 BCE – 479 BCE (approx.) · capital Wanqiu

A Zhou state on the Huai plain whose rulers claimed descent from the sage-king Shun, a frequent victim of Chu whose exiled branch later seized the throne of Qi.

Origins

King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed Gui Man, Duke Hu of Chen, a descendant of the legendary Emperor Shun, at Wanqiu (modern Huaiyang, Henan), and gave him his eldest daughter in marriage. Chen thus combined ancient lineage with close ties to the royal house.

Rule and society

Chen sat on the open plain between the northern states and the State of Chu, and switched allegiance repeatedly. Its court was notorious for intrigue: Duke Ling was killed in 599 BCE by Xia Zhengshu, prompting a Chu intervention. In 672 BCE Prince Wan of Chen fled to the State of Qi, where his descendants, the Tian clan, rose to power. Confucius was famously stranded between Chen and Cai.

Decline and legacy

Chu occupied Chen twice before King Hui of Chu annexed it for good in 479 BCE. Its capital became an important Chu city, and in 278 BCE served as the Chu capital after Ying fell to Qin. The Tian lineage descended from Chen ruled Qi until 221 BCE.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Chen. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-chen
MLA
“State of Chen.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-chen. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Chen.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-chen.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Chen’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-chen (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻