Chen Baoji (陳保極) | 24 Histories

Overview

Chen Baoji was an official and Scholar.

Life and dates

Death

Died nursing resentment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 18

Attested activity

AD 936 to AD 944 天福中
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 15
AD 926 to AD 930 後唐天成中
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 10

Family

Kinship Role wife-and-children · Count 0 · Negated true
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 21

Career and standing

staff officer / aide 從事
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 10
investigating officer of Dingzhou 定州推官
Appointed
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 11
Vice Director in the Ministry of Granaries 倉部員外郎
Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passages 12, 18
Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites 禮部員外郎
Held
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 12
gold seal and purple robe removed 奪金紫
Stripped of insignia · Entered
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 17
assistant director of the Court of Imperial Regalia 衛尉寺丞
Demotion · Demoted
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 17

Places and affiliations

At Fujian / Minzhong 閩中
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 9

Learning and skills

Earned
AD 926 to AD 930 後唐天成中 · Credential Presented Scholar 進士
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 10

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 13

Events and relationships

Mocked Sang Weihan as half a man
Personal · Speaker · With Sang Weihan (桑維翰)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passages 13-14
Relation Client of · Person Li Congrong (李從榮)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 10

Assessments and attributes

Assessment arrogant and miserly; no real talent for the age · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 19
Sang Weihan was short and plain-looking (Baoji's characterization)
Physical description
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 96, passage 14

References in the histories

Search passages

History

8 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 96Volume 96 Book of Later Jin 22: Biographies 11: Kong Chongbi, Chen Baoji, Wang Yu, Zhang Jizuo, Zhen Ruan, Hu Rao, Liu Suiqing, Fang Gao, Meng Chenghui, Liu Jixun, Zheng Shouyi, Cheng Xun, Li Yu, Zheng Xuansu, Ma Zhongji, Chen Xuan · 8 passages

Open chapter

陳保極，閩中人也。 Chen Baoji was a native of Fujian.

從榮素急暴，後怒保極不告出遊宰相門，以馬箠鞭之，尋出為定州推官。 Congrong was naturally violent and impulsive. He later flew into a rage because Baoji had visited the chief ministers without telling him, and lashed him with a riding crop. Baoji was soon transferred out to serve as investigating officer in Dingzhou.

從榮敗，執政知其屈，擢居三署，歷禮部、倉部員外郎。 After Congrong's downfall the court recognized that Baoji had been treated unjustly and promoted him into the Three Bureaus, where he served successively as vice director in the ministries of rites and of granaries.

初，桑維翰登第之歲，保極時在秦王幕下，因戲謂同輩曰：「近知今歲有三個半人及第。」 When Sang Weihan took his degree, Baoji was still on the prince of Qin's staff. He joked to his colleagues, "I've just heard that three and a half men passed the examination this year."

蓋其年收四人，保極以維翰短陋，故謂之半人也。 Four candidates had in fact passed that year, but because Weihan was short and plain-looking, Baoji counted him as only half a man.

天福中，維翰既居相位，保極時在曹郎，慮除官差跌，心不自安，乃乞假南遊，將謀退跡。 In the Tianfu era, once Weihan had become chief minister, Baoji was serving as a bureau secretary. Fearful of being demoted, he grew uneasy and asked leave to travel south, planning to retire from office.

既而襄、鄧長吏以行止入奏，維翰乃奏於高祖曰：「保極閩人，多狡，恐逃入淮海。」 Soon the senior officials of Xiang and Deng reported his movements to court. Weihan then told Gaozu, "Baoji is a Fujian man and notoriously cunning; I fear he may flee to the Huaihai region."

保極無時才，有傲人之名，而性復鄙吝，所得利祿，未嘗奉身，但蔬食而已。 Baoji had no real talent for public life and was known for looking down on others, yet he was also miserly by nature. He never spent his salary on himself and lived on nothing but plain fare.