In 1910 he entered the Zhejiang Advanced Normal School, a teacher-training institution which was later merged into National Chekiang University.
In February 1940, Chen arrived at Zunyi, and then subsequently Meitan, Guizhou Province, where he helped re-establish the colleges of engineering and sciences.
[citation needed] In 1945, after the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chen was invited by biologist Luo Zongluo (Lo Tsung-lo), who was serving as the 1st president of National Taiwan University (formerly Taihoku Imperial University), as well as the Nationalist government in Nanjing, to travel to Taipei and serve as acting dean of NTU during its reorganization.
[citation needed] After the Chinese Civil War, Chen remained in Zhejiang, now part of the People's Republic of China.
Both Chen and Su Buqing moved to Fudan University, where they continued their cooperation and the Chen-Su school of mathematics.
[citation needed] In recognition of his advancements in the field of mathematics, in 1955 Chen was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in its inaugural year.