Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Prince and Rebel

Chen Bogu 陳伯固

c. AD 555 - AD 582

Passages: 19
Chapters: 2
Histories: 1

Overview

Chen Bogu was a prince and Rebel.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Courtesy name	Laozhi	牢之	Laozhi

Life and dates

Death

AD 582 叔陵之叛
Killed by mutinous troops · At Dongchang hostel gate 東昌館門
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 121

Age

28
AD 582 叔陵之叛
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 121

Attested activity

AD 567 光大元年閏月癸巳
Directly stated · Book of Chen 4, passage 50
AD 582 叔陵之叛
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passages 57, 121
AD 565 天嘉六年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 96
AD 575 太建七年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 103
AD 569 太建元年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 99
AD 581 太建十三年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 111

Show 4 more source-backed claims

AD 580 太建十二年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 110
AD 578 太建十年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 106
AD 572 太建四年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 102
AD 567 廢帝嗣立
Dated from the passage context · Book of Chen 36, passage 97

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Lady Wang (王氏)
birth mother 所生 · maternal line
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 125
Sibling of Chen Bozong (陳伯宗)
brother 兄弟 · Paternal half siblings
Strongly inferred · Book of Chen 4, passages 3, 50
Child of Emperor Wen of Chen (文帝)
father 父
fifth son 第五子
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 94

Kinship Role children · Quantity plural
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 125

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Governor of Danyang 丹陽尹
AD 567 光大元年閏月癸巳 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Chen 4, passage 50
inspector of Yangzhou 揚州刺史
AD 581 太建十三年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 111
libationer of the National University 國子祭酒
AD 578 太建十年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 107
governor of Danyang 丹陽尹
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 98
Prince of Xin'an 新安郡王
AD 565 天嘉六年 · Enfeoffed · Households 2000
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 96
Prince of Xin'an 新安王
Held
Directly stated · Book of Chen 4, passage 50

Show 2 more source-backed claims

Granted
Burial with commoner rites
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 123
Posthumous settlement
Children and birth mother pardoned as commoners; fief abolished
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passages 125-126

Places and affiliations

Chen 陳
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Chen 4, passage 50
Polity Chen 陳 · Relation Member of
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 94

Learning and skills

Subject arcane learning 玄理
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 108
Skill debate and discourse 俊辯善言論 · Level skilled
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 95

Events and relationships

Joined Shuling
AD 582 叔陵之叛 · Rebellion · Ally · With Chen Shuling (陳叔陵)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passages 57, 117

Assessments and attributes

Assessment poorest among the princes; frivolous; harsh administrator · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passages 104-105, 109
pigeon chest; bright eye-whites; slight stature
Physical description
Directly stated · Book of Chen 36, passage 95

References in the histories

Search passages

History

19 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 4Volume 4: Emperor Fei · 1 passage

閏月癸巳，以雲麾將軍新安王伯固為丹陽尹。 On guisi day of the intercalary month Bogu, Prince of Xin'an and cloud-banner general, was made governor of Danyang.

Book of Chen, Chapter 36Volume 36: Chen Shuling, Prince of Shixing; Chen Bogu, Prince of Xin'an · 18 passages

始興王叔陵新安王伯固 Prince of Shixing Chen Shuling; Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu

叔陵因奮袖得脫，突走出雲龍門，馳車還東府，呼其甲士，散金銀以賞賜，外召諸王將帥，莫有應者，唯新安王伯固聞而赴之。 Shuling shook free his sleeve, bolted out the Cloud Dragon Gate, raced to the Eastern Mansion, rallied his guards, scattered gold and silver as bounty, and called the princes and generals—but only Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu came when he heard.

行至白楊路，為臺軍所邀，伯固見兵至，旋避入巷，叔陵馳騎拔刃追之，伯固復還。 At Baiyang Road the court army blocked them; Bogu, seeing soldiers, slipped into an alley; Shuling spurred after him with blade drawn, and Bogu returned.

新安王伯固 Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu

新安王伯固字牢之，世祖之第五子也。 Prince of Xin'an Chen Bogu, styled Laozhi, was Emperor Wen's fifth son.

天嘉六年，立為新安郡王，邑二千戶。 In Tianjia year 6 he was made Prince of Xin'an with a fief of two thousand households.

伯固性嗜酒，而不好積聚，所得祿俸，用度無節，酣醉以後，多所乞丐，於諸王之中，最為貧窶，高宗每矜之，特加賞賜。 Bogu loved wine and would not save; his salary vanished without plan, and when drunk he often begged from others. Among the princes he was the poorest, and Emperor Gaozong often pitied him and gave special gifts.

伯固雅性輕率，好行鞭捶，在州不知政事，日出田獵，或乘眠轝至於草間，輒呼民下從遊，動至旬日，所捕獐鹿，多使生致，高宗頗知之，遣使責讓者數矣。 Bogu was frivolous by nature and fond of the whip. In his province he ignored government, hunted by day, sometimes rode a sleeping litter into the meadows, and called commoners to join him for outings that could last ten days. The deer and boar he took he mostly had brought in alive. Emperor Gaozong knew of it and sent envoys to rebuke him more than once.

伯固頗知玄理，而墮業無所通，至於擿句問難，往往有奇意。 Bogu knew something of arcane learning yet mastered no art; when he posed lines and pressed others in debate, he often showed a striking turn of mind.

後主初在東宮，與伯固甚相親狎，伯固又善嘲謔，高宗每宴集，多引之。 When the Last Ruler was still crown prince in the Eastern Palace, he and Bogu were very close. Bogu was also skilled at banter, and Emperor Gaozong often summoned him to feasts.

叔陵在江州，心害其寵，陰求疵瑕，將中之以法。 Shuling was in Jiangzhou and resented Bogu's favor; he secretly looked for faults and meant to bring him down by law.

及叔陵入朝，伯固懼罪，諂求其意，乃共訕毀朝賢，歷詆文武，雖耆年高位，皆面折之，無所畏忌。 When Shuling came to court, Bogu feared punishment and fawned on him to learn his mind; together they slandered court worthies and abused civil and military men in turn—even elders of years and high rank they confronted to the face without fear.

伯固性好射雉，叔陵又好開發冢墓，出遊野外，必與偕行，於是情好大協，遂謀不軌。 Bogu loved shooting pheasants and Shuling loved opening tombs; abroad in the wilds they always went together, their feelings matched, and they plotted treason.

伯固侍禁中，每有密語，必報叔陵。 Bogu attended within the palace; whenever there was a secret word he reported it to Shuling.

及叔陵出奔東府，遣使告之，伯固單馬馳赴，助叔陵指揮。 When Shuling fled to the Eastern Palace he sent word to Bogu; Bogu rode alone at full speed to join him and helped direct the fighting.

詔曰：「伯固同茲悖逆，殞身途路。 An edict said, "Bogu shared in this rebellion and perished on the road.

又詔曰：「伯固隨同巨逆，自絕于天，俾無遺育，抑有恆典。 Another edict said, "Bogu followed the great rebel and cut himself off from Heaven; to leave no descendants is the constant statute.

但童孺靡識，兼預葭莩，寘之甸人，良以惻憫，及伯固所生王氏，[4]可並特宥為庶人。」 Yet the children know nothing and share the family tie; to set them among common folk is true compassion; and Wang, who bore Bogu, [4] may both be specially pardoned as commoners."