[a] His mother was Consort Yuan, a concubine of Emperor Xuan who carried the rank of Zhaorong (昭容), the eighth highest rank among imperial consorts, who had two other sons—his older brother Chen Shuwen (陳叔文), later created the Prince of Jinxi, and his younger brother Chen Shutan (陳叔坦), later created the Prince of Xinhui.
Chen Shuda entered Sui governmental service as a minor official, although his title at the time is not recorded in history.
During the reign of Emperor Wen's son Emperor Yang, he was made Neishi Sheren (內史舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of the government (內史省, Neishi Sheng), and later the deputy governor of Jiang Commandery (絳郡, part of modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), acting as governor.
After Li Yuan assumed the throne in 618, establishing the Tang dynasty as its Emperor Gaozu, Chen Shuda was made the Huangmen Shilang (黃門侍郎), the deputy head of the government's examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng).
In 619, Emperor Gaozu made him Nayan (納言) – the head of the examination bureau, a post considered one for a chancellor.
When famed people from south of the Yangtze River (i.e., the former Chen territory) visited Chang'an, he often recommended them for government service.
Initially, Chen Shuda continued to serve as the head of the examination bureau, but later that year, in the middle of a major governmental reorganization by Emperor Taizong, Chen and another chancellor, Xiao Yu, argued at length before Emperor Taizong, and both were accused of being disrespectful and removed from their offices.
[c] Emperor Taizong, as Chen was a well-known official, did not want his offense to be made public, and so had him retire with a minor office.