 His mother was Chen Xu's second wife, Liu Jingyan, and he was Chen Xu's oldest son.In 554, the Western Wei attacked Jiangling and captured it, executing Emperor Yuan.Emperor Yuan's nephew Xiao Cha was made Emperor Xuan of Western Liang and given Jiangling as his capital, but a large segment of Jiangling's population and Emperor Yuan's officials, including Chen Xu and Chen Xu's cousin Chen Chang, were taken to the Western Wei capital of Chang'an.