Chen Da
Encyclopedia
Chen Da is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 72nd of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 36th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Stream Leaping Tiger".
(in present-day Hebei
). He is as strong as an ox, impatient, fiery-tempered and has a loud booming voice. He excels in martial arts and wields an iron spear
in combat. He is nicknamed "Stream Leaping Tiger".
Chen Da becomes one of the leaders of a bandit group on Mount Shaohua together with Zhu Wu
and Yang Chun
. The local government is afraid of them. Once, the stronghold lacks provisions and the bandits decide to raid and loot the nearby Huayin
County for supplies. They have to pass by Shi Jin
's village along the way. Zhu Wu has reservations about the attack as Shi Jin has a reputation for being a powerful fighter and he may stand in their way. Chen Da ignores Zhu Wu's warning and leads his men to attack Shi Jin's village. He is defeated by Shi Jin and captured.
Zhu Wu and Yang Chun travel to Shi Jin's village and plead with him to release Chen Da. Shi Jin is moved by their strong sense of brotherhood and he releases Chen Da. The three bandit leaders become friends with Shi Jin and they visit and send gifts to each other often. The hunter Li Ji discovers Shi Jin's relationship with the outlaws and he reports to the magistrate for a reward. The magistrate sends soldiers to surround the village and arrest the four men. Shi Jin burns down his village and joins the three outlaws in fighting their way back to Mount Shaohua.
goes to invite the four outlaws to join the band at Liangshan Marsh
. He learns that Shi Jin has been captured by Prefect He and attempts to rescue Shi but fails and he is captured as well. Zhu Wu notifies the Liangshan outlaws, who come to the rescue. After the victory, Zhu Wu, Chen Da and Yang Chun follow the outlaws back to Liangshan.
Chen Da becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan calvary after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Fang La
campaign, Chen Da is assigned to attack the enemy territory of Yuling Pass with Shi Jin and another four heroes. Shi Jin is killed by the enemy general Pang Wanchun
and the rest of them are killed by dozens of arrows fired at them.
Water Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
Four Great Classical Novels
The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly regarded by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese readers...
of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
. He ranks 72nd of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 36th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Stream Leaping Tiger".
Background
Chen Da is from YeYe, China
Ye or Yecheng was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan....
(in present-day Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
). He is as strong as an ox, impatient, fiery-tempered and has a loud booming voice. He excels in martial arts and wields an iron spear
Qiang (spear)
Qiang is the Chinese term for spear. Due to its relative ease of manufacture, the spear in many variations was ubiquitous on the pre-modern Chinese battlefield...
in combat. He is nicknamed "Stream Leaping Tiger".
Chen Da becomes one of the leaders of a bandit group on Mount Shaohua together with Zhu Wu
Zhu Wu
Zhu Wu is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 37th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 1st of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Resourceful Strategist".-Background:...
and Yang Chun
Yang Chun
Yang Chun is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 73rd of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 37th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "White Flower Serpent".-Background:...
. The local government is afraid of them. Once, the stronghold lacks provisions and the bandits decide to raid and loot the nearby Huayin
Huayin
Huayin is a county-level city in Weinan, Shaanxi, China. Prior to 1990, Huayin had been regarded as a county. Huayin literally means to the north of Mount Hua, because it is situated to the north of that mountain....
County for supplies. They have to pass by Shi Jin
Shi Jin
Shi Jin is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 23rd of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Nine Tattooed Dragons".-Background:...
's village along the way. Zhu Wu has reservations about the attack as Shi Jin has a reputation for being a powerful fighter and he may stand in their way. Chen Da ignores Zhu Wu's warning and leads his men to attack Shi Jin's village. He is defeated by Shi Jin and captured.
Zhu Wu and Yang Chun travel to Shi Jin's village and plead with him to release Chen Da. Shi Jin is moved by their strong sense of brotherhood and he releases Chen Da. The three bandit leaders become friends with Shi Jin and they visit and send gifts to each other often. The hunter Li Ji discovers Shi Jin's relationship with the outlaws and he reports to the magistrate for a reward. The magistrate sends soldiers to surround the village and arrest the four men. Shi Jin burns down his village and joins the three outlaws in fighting their way back to Mount Shaohua.
Joining Liangshan
Later, Lu ZhishenLu Zhishen
Lu Zhishen, nicknamed "Flowery Monk", or Sagacious Lu , is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is the lead character in the first major story cycle of the novel, in which he comes to epitomize loyalty, strength, justice but...
goes to invite the four outlaws to join the band at Liangshan Marsh
Mount Liang
Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong province, China which rises to 197.9 m above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 legendary Song Dynasty heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin...
. He learns that Shi Jin has been captured by Prefect He and attempts to rescue Shi but fails and he is captured as well. Zhu Wu notifies the Liangshan outlaws, who come to the rescue. After the victory, Zhu Wu, Chen Da and Yang Chun follow the outlaws back to Liangshan.
Chen Da becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan calvary after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao
Liao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Fang La
Fang La
Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...
campaign, Chen Da is assigned to attack the enemy territory of Yuling Pass with Shi Jin and another four heroes. Shi Jin is killed by the enemy general Pang Wanchun
Pang Wanchun
Pang Wanchun is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Pang Wanchun is one of the military generals serving under the rebel leader, Fang La, one of the antagonists and enemy of the 108 Liangshan outlaws...
and the rest of them are killed by dozens of arrows fired at them.