Courtesy names Gongxia (公俠) and later Gongqia (公洽), sobriquet Tuesu (退素), Chen was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang and went to study in a military academy in Japan in 1902 for seven years. He joined Guangfuhui while in Japan. He returned to Japan in 1917 to study in a military university for three years, then he resided in Shanghai.
He was the chairman senator (總參議) and governor of Zhejiang (since October 1925). Chen was also the leader of the 19th Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army (國民革命軍第十九路軍軍長). After 1927, he worked in the Military Affairs Department (軍政部), then as the chairman of Fujian, and Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan.
After his dismissal as the Taiwanese chief executive, he was employed as a consultant. In June 1948, he became the chairman of Zhejiang. In November, he released over a hundred communists scheduled to be executed. In January 1949, his subordinate, Tang Enbo (湯恩伯), claimed to Chiang Kai-shek that Chen advised him to rebel against Kuomintang. Chiang terminated Chen's chairmanship on reason of collaboration with the communists. On May 30, he was taken to Taiwan to be imprisoned and later killed at Machangting (馬場町), Taipei.
