Chen 讖 is the Chinese term for 'prophecy'.Zongli Lü 2003, p. 20 It is also written chanZongli Lü 2003, p. 13 or, in the Wade–Giles transliteration as "ch'an":Charles Alexander Moore : The Chinese Mind. University of Hawaii Press, 1967. p. 113 "The Ch'an, couched in enigmatic language, predicted luck and disaster, and constituted oracle books."Po Hu T'ung (Discussions at White Tiger Pavilion), "Introduction", section 32 These prophecies could derive from a dream,Zongli Lü 2003, p. 16 be brought from overseas,Zongli Lü2003, p. 18 be discovered in excavated inscriptions,Zongli Lü 2003, p. 19 or be revealed in "an ecstatic trance".Zongli Lü 2003, p. 299 These prophetic texts were much used by the emperors.
Chen and the emperors At the partition of the empire at the end of the Later Han dynasty, "Liu Bei ... (161–223) in Shu and Sun Quan ... (182–252) in Wu proclaimed their own mandates and, of course, used favorable chen prophecies ... to serve their own purposes."Zongli Lü 2003, p. 39 In the Liang dynasty, "Emperor Wu himself quoted prophetic-apocryphal texts".Zongli Lü 2003, p. 57 In the Sui dynasty, chen texts were promoted by Wang Shao (fl. 543–608) : as "imperial historian, Wang repeatedly presented favorable prophetic-apocryphal texts and contemporary chen prophecies to Emperor Wen ... . The emperor was greatly pleased. Encouraged, Wang collected ... chen prophecies ... and wei apocryphal texts, and compiled a ... collection ... . Emperor Wen then had this collection distributed nationwide.Zongli Lü 2003, p. 68 As founder of the Sui dynasty, "When Yang first enthroned himself, ... he declared that there had been a large number of ... chen prophecies in his favor.".Zongli Lü 2003, p. 101
Chen as description These prophetic texts were also officially accepted as descriptions of particular emperors. An official description of Emperor Gao of the Southern Qi dynasty stated that "His Majesty's name, physical characteristics, as well as the tide, destiny, and the order of succession all correspond with dozens to nearly one hundred chen prophecies."Zongli Lü 2003, p. 89
Other prophetic texts Other instances of such prophecy are the Wan Nian Ke ("10,000 Years' Poem")Pure Insight: Tentative Interpretation of the Last Part of "Universe 10K Years Prophecy Poem" by Jiang Ziya, composed early in the Western Zhou dynasty; and the Cang Tou ("Secret Record")Pure Insight: The Great Chinese Prophecies (20) by Li Chunfeng, composed during the Tang dynasty.
In Vietnam, the 15th century scholar Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm is famous for writing Sấm Trạng Trình (讖狀程, The Prophecies of Trạng nguyên Trình), a collection of chens, or sấm in Vietnamese.
Notes
Work cited Zongli Lü, Power of The Words : Chen Prophecy in Chinese Politics, AD 265–618, Peter Lang (2003)
External links Page from Ch'en Prophecy in Chinese Politics AD 265–618