Chen Ping (Han Dynasty)
| Chen Ping | |
|---|---|
| Left Chancellor of the Western Han dynasty | |
| Born | (unknown) |
| Died | 178 BC |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 陳平 |
| Simplified Chinese | 陈平 |
| Pinyin | Chén Píng |
| Wade–Giles | Ch'en P'ing |
| Posthumous name | Marquis Xian (獻侯) |
| Chen Ping | |||||||
| Chinese | 陳平 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Jyutping | Can4 Ping4 |
Chen Ping (died 178 BC) was a politician who served as a chancellor in the early Western Han dynasty. He was an advisor to Liu Bang (Emperor Gao), the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. He played an important role in helping Liu Bang overcome his rival, Xiang Yu, in the Chu–Han Contention (206–202 BC).
Chen Ping was from Huyou Town (戶牖鄉), Yangwu (陽武; present-day Yuanyang County, Henan). He was born in a peasant family and his parents died when he was still young so he lived with his elder brother. His elder brother worked as a farmer on the 30 mu of land that their family owned while Chen Ping spent his time reading. As a child, Chen Ping had an ambition to serve his country. Chen Ping remained single until his 30s, when he met Zhang Fu (張負), a wealthy man. Zhang Fu had a granddaughter who married five times, but all her husbands died not long after they married her, so other men did not want to marry her. One day, Zhang Fu followed Chen Ping to his residence and saw that although Chen's house was quite rundown, there were many carriages outside his house (which implied that Chen Ping was popular in town as many people visited him). Zhang Fu was so pleased that when he returned home he discussed with his son about marrying his granddaughter to Chen Ping. Zhang Fu's son was reluctant to marry his daughter to Chen Ping because he felt that Chen was too poor, but Zhang Fu claimed that Chen Ping had good relations with people. Chen Ping eventually married Zhang Fu's granddaughter and gradually became more affluent with support from his wife. Not long later, the townsfolk nominated Chen Ping to be their shezai (社宰; a local leader). Chen Ping distributed meat equally to his fellow townsfolk and they praised him for being just and fair. Chen Ping once said, "If I can manage the world, I'll manage it in the same manner as I distribute meat, so that all people in the world will not need to be poor and hungry."
In 209 BC, during the reign of Qin Er Shi, rebellions erupted throughout China to overthrow the Qin dynasty. Chen Ping pledged his service to Xiang Yu, a prominent rebel leader. After the fall of the Qin dynasty in late 207 BC, Xiang Yu marched his army into the Qin capital Xianyang and plundered and pillaged the city. Around this time, Chen Ping defected from Xiang Yu's side to Liu Bang, another prominent rebel leader. Liu Bang appointed Chen Ping as "Lieutenant Who Protects the Nation" (護國中尉).
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