Historical Record
Regarding the historical records of Chen Dan (courtesy name Hangong), the verifiable historical biographical materials currently available contain no detailed record. This means that in official histories such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chen Dan's deeds or life are not clearly mentioned or described in detail. Therefore, we cannot make an objective account of his life, offices, specific contributions, or end from the standpoint of the historical biographies. In the context of the official histories, Chen Dan appears to be a figure who left no notable mark.
In the Novel
In Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chen Dan (courtesy name Hangong) appears as the image of a loyal and upright minister, his deeds centering chiefly on the period of eunuch domination at the end of the Eastern Han. He first appears in Chapter 2 of the novel c:6657, at the time when the Ten Attendants wielded power and the governance of the court was in disorder. In the novel, Chen Dan's appearance is for the purpose of rescuing the Counsellor-Remonstrant Liu Tao, who had been framed by the eunuchs. When the soldiers were about to execute Liu Tao, Chen Dan stepped forward, halted the execution, and went straight into the palace to have an audience with the emperor. He spoke bluntly to Emperor Ling of Han, pointing out that Liu Tao was innocent and bitterly denouncing the crimes of the Ten Attendants, saying: "The people of the realm wish to eat the flesh of the Ten Attendants, yet Your Majesty reveres them as father and mother; though they have not an inch of merit, they are all enfeoffed as full marquises. Moreover, Feng Xu and the others have colluded with the Yellow Turbans, scheming for internal rebellion; if Your Majesty does not now reflect upon yourself, the altars of state will be seen to crumble before our eyes!" c:6657. These words greatly enraged Emperor Ling of Han, for the emperor held the Ten Attendants in high favor. Chen Dan did not flinch on this account, but instead "struck his head against the steps as he remonstrated" c:6657, remonstrating unto death, displaying his loyal and steadfast spirit of refusing to yield though death be the cost. Yet his loyal remonstrance failed to awaken the muddle-headed emperor, instead enraging him, and in the end he was ordered to be cast into prison together with Liu Tao. That very night, the Ten Attendants secretly murdered Chen Dan and Liu Tao in prison, and forged an edict appointing Sun Jian as Administrator of Changsha to campaign against Ou Xing c:6657. In the novel's narrative, Chen Dan's end is tragic and lamentable; with his own life he gave meaning to the definition of a "loyal minister," and laid bare the dark reality of the corrupt court and the slaughter of the loyal and good at the end of the Eastern Han. His image is a typical representative in the novel of the critique of eunuch domination and the praise of loyalty and righteousness; although his deeds have no clear record in the histories, he left a deep imprint in the literary work.
Key Relationships
* Ten Attendants (enemy_of): Between Chen Dan and the Ten Attendants there was clear enmity. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, for the sake of the altars of state and of the loyal and good, Chen Dan did not shrink from remonstrating frankly at the risk of death, bitterly denouncing the Ten Attendants' monopoly of power, misgovernment, and greedy corruption. He stated bluntly that the Ten Attendants "though they have not an inch of merit, are all enfeoffed as full marquises" c:6657, and accused them of colluding with the Yellow Turbans to plot internal rebellion. This direct criticism and confrontation ultimately led to his being murdered by the Ten Attendants in prison c:6657 (Novel only).
* Emperor Ling of Han (object of remonstrance/the one who betrayed him): Chen Dan was a subject of Emperor Ling of Han; he remonstrated with Emperor Ling, trying to awaken the emperor to the harm done by the Ten Attendants. However, Emperor Ling's favor for the Ten Attendants led him to turn a deaf ear to Chen Dan's loyal words, even flying into a rage at his "slandering close attendants," and in the end ordering him cast into prison c:6657 (Novel only). This relationship highlights the conflict between Chen Dan's loyalty and Emperor Ling's muddle-headedness.
* Liu Tao (fellow prisoner and companion): Chen Dan and Liu Tao are kindred sufferers, both loyal ministers, in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Chen Dan's appearance was precisely to rescue Liu Tao, who had been framed by the Ten Attendants c:6657. The two were in the end cast into prison together and murdered by the Ten Attendants there c:6657 (Novel only), together forming the tragic image of loyal ministers slaughtered in the novel.
Iconic Scenes
* Bitterly denouncing the Ten Attendants before the hall, remonstrating unto death by striking his head against the steps: This is Chen Dan's most iconic scene in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. When Liu Tao was about to be executed, Chen Dan stepped forward, halted the soldiers, and went straight into the palace to speak out impassionedly before Emperor Ling of Han, bitterly denouncing the crimes of the Ten Attendants. He bluntly pointed out the harm they did, describing the depth of the people's resentment with the words "the people of the realm wish to eat the flesh of the Ten Attendants" c:6657. In the face of the emperor's wrath, Chen Dan did not flinch, but instead "struck his head against the steps as he remonstrated" c:6657, using his own life to defend justice and loyalty. This scene fully displays Chen Dan's image of unyielding loyalty and steadfast courage, and became a classic passage in the novel of the critique of eunuch domination and the praise of loyalty and righteousness. Although this scene has no record in the histories, it shapes in literature a deeply moving image of a loyal minister, profoundly laying bare the corruption of the court and the tragic fate of the loyal and good at the end of the Eastern Han (Novel only).
Relationships
0 relationships
无
Quotes
3 recorded lines · 2 featured
「天下人民，欲食十常侍之肉，陛下敬之如父母，身無寸功，皆封列侯；況封諝等結連黃巾，欲為內亂：陛下今不自省，社稷立見崩摧矣！」
This line directly condemns the eunuchs' misrule and foretells the collapse of the state, embodying Chen Dan's image as a loyal and fearless remonstrant.
「劉諫議得何罪而受誅？」
This question expresses Chen Dan's indignation at loyal ministers being wrongly put to death, a manifestation of his upright character.
Chapters1 回 ▸
- 演ch.2
Inner monologues · AI-generated1 段 ▸
- I am Chen Dan, courtesy name Han Gong. I hold the office of Minister over the Masses, and what is at stake is not my own