Chen Dao, courtesy name Shuzhi, is a Shu officer remembered by the historical tradition surrounding the Three Kingdoms, although the received Romance of the Three Kingdoms does not give him an active scene. A native of Runan, he follows Liu Bei from the period when Liu is established in Yu Province and becomes known for loyalty and courage. His long service places him among the trusted military men formed before the conquest of Shu.
Chen Dao’s most important command is the White Feather guard, an elite body associated with Liu Bei’s own household troops. Later testimony praises the soldiers under him as among the finest in the west, and a Shu appraisal places his loyal valor beside the steadiness of Zhao Yun. The sparse record does not preserve a named duel or a catalogue of campaigns, so his military weight comes instead from the quality of the force entrusted to him and the duration of that trust.
After Liu Bei’s death, Chen Dao continues to serve the Shu state. He rises to General Who Conquers the West, receives a marquisate, and is stationed at Yong’an, the strategic eastern gate facing the Yangtze approaches. When Li Yan moves his headquarters to Jiangzhou, Chen Dao remains at Yong’an under his authority and carries the actual frontier responsibility. He dies in office. The surviving story is restrained but substantial: an early follower of Liu Bei, commander of elite guards, and dependable keeper of Shu’s exposed eastern boundary.
