Chén Cìshēng 陳次升 (1044–1119), zì Dāngshí 當時, was a Northern Sòng remonstrance official from Xīnghuà Xiānyóu 興化仙遊 (modern Fújiàn). While still a tàixué student he attacked Wáng Ānshí’s Zìshuō 字説 as “Qín-school” pseudo-classicism, and was kept out of office as a result — until his eventual jìnshì in Xīníng 2 (1069). He became Zhī Ānqiūxiàn 知安丘縣, was recommended for Jiānchá yùshǐ 監察御史, served as Tídiǎn Huáinán Hédōng xíngyù 提點淮南河東刑獄, then as Diànzhōng shìyùshǐ 殿中侍御史, advancing to Zuǒ sījiàn 左司諫. He was demoted under the post-1093 Shàoshèng reaction to Nánānjūn jiān jiǔshuì 南安軍監酒稅. On Huīzōng’s accession in 1100 he was recalled and made Yòu jiànyì dàfū 右諫議大夫 — but was again “chú míng biān guǎn” (struck off the rolls and assigned to confined registration) at Xúnzhōu 循州. He was restored to his former rank in the Zhènghé period and died in office.
In three successive tenures as a remonstrance official he made substantial impacts: most importantly, his memorial that successfully blocked the appointment of Lǚ Shēngqīng 呂升卿 as Shǐshǐ (envoy) to Lǐngnán in Yuányòu 7 (1092) — which Liú Ānshì 劉安世 later said was “a great service to the Yuányòu ministers.” His impeachments of Zhāng Dūn 章惇, Cài Jīng 蔡京, Cài Biàn 蔡卞, and Zēng Bù 曾布 are notable for their clarity, even though the deep roots of the new-policies faction could not in the end be uprooted; he was driven off into exile by them in his old age.
His memorials were collected by his nephew (his elder brother’s son), Chén Ānguó 陳安國 (then Nánānchéng), under the title Dǎnglùn jí 讜論集 — drawing on a phrase from Zhézōng’s praise of him in court audience. The original collection contained 207 memorials but was lost; the Sìkù editors recovered 86 from the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn and a further 30 from the Lìdài míngchén zòuyì (KR2f0039), totalling about 50–60% of the original — published as the present 5-juàn KR2f0015 Dǎnglùn jí. Sòng shǐ j. 346 has his biography. CBDB id 11080.