After the brief unification under the Western Jin Dynasty, China plunged into an era of chaos and upheaval. It was in this war-torn, fire-ravaged age that Chen Baxian found his stage, a time of endless conflict that offered him the perfect opportunity to build his legacy.
Born during the Liang Dynasty's Tianjian era, Chen Baxian harbored grand ambitions from a young age, fiercely competitive and fond of military texts. Quick-witted and strategic, he also trained in martial arts, building a robust physique and unyielding will. While serving under Wu Xing's governor Xiao Ying, his talents shone brightly. Xiao Ying, greatly impressed, remarked, "Your future prospects are vast—you will surely surpass me."
In the final years of the Liang Dynasty, Hou Jing raised an army in rebellion, and Emperor Wu of Liang died of grief and anger. Chen Baxian seized this golden opportunity, marched north to denounce Hou Jing, joined forces with Wang Sengbian, and advanced on the Stone City. Hou Jing set up defenses along the river, linking watchtowers for over ten li from Stone City to Qingxi.
When the allied armies hesitated to take the lead, Chen Baxian volunteered to advance first, building wooden palisades near the enemy along the western side of Stone City, with the other forces erecting eight more stockades in turn. After fortifications were complete, Chen analyzed the situation and proposed a strategy to divide and scatter the enemy, saying, "A skilled commander should be like the snake of Mount Chang, whose head and tail rescue each other, throwing the opponent into confusion. Hou Jing has fewer troops; we have the advantage. To prevent him from concentrating his forces in a desperate fight, we must split his army." All commanders agreed, so they deployed separately. Chen Baxian charged into battle alongside his men, surrounding and intercepting the enemy, and decisively defeated Hou Jing. Chen and Wang Sengbian both earned great merit, and their fame soared.
After returning south in triumph, Chen Baxian and Wang Sengbian jointly welcomed Xiao Fangzhi to Jiankang, but Northern Qi got there first, sending Xiao Yuanming back to rule the Liang dynasty in an attempt to manipulate its government. Chen Baxian firmly opposed this and tried to stop it, while Wang Sengbian yielded under Northern Qi's threats and bribes. So Chen Baxian raised troops from Jingkou, killed Wang Sengbian, and installed Xiao Fangzhi as emperor. From then on, Chen Baxian took full control of the government and was promoted to Prince of Chen. In 557 AD, Emperor Jing of Liang abdicated to Chen Baxian, who accepted the throne and established the Chen dynasty, becoming Emperor Wu of Chen.
Emperor Chen Baxian spent his life campaigning across the land. He possessed extraordinary insight, outstanding vision, and unmatched courage, always assessing the situation, seizing the right moment, and making decisive choices without hesitation. In governance, he favored leniency and simplicity, rarely mobilizing troops except for urgent military matters. He was frugal and plain-living: his daily meals consisted of only a few dishes, and even at banquets, there were no rare delicacies; his tableware was made of clay or mussel shells, extremely crude. The palace concubines wore no fine clothes or gold and jade jewelry, living a simple life. Chen Baxian's far-sighted wisdom and strict self-discipline allowed him to both win the realm and govern it well.
“Wares of clay and plates of shell” refers to eating vessels made of pottery and plates crafted from clam shells. Later, it broadly denotes crude and inferior utensils.
Source: *Book of Chen*, "Annals of Emperor Gao"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "瓦器蚌盘" came to describe it broadly denotes crude and inferior utensils.