Chen

In names, a family name; in compounds, arrange, state, or aged.

In a Chinese name, 陈 identifies the family; it does not describe someone’s age or personality. Elsewhere, the whole word determines the sense: 陈列 refers to displaying things, 陈述 to stating something, and 陈年 to something aged or kept for a long time. A gloss for one of these words is not a translation of a person’s surname.

Is 陈 the same as 陳?

Yes: 陈 is simplified; 陳 is traditional. The choice reflects a writing convention, not a different family name. Simplified Chinese writing used in mainland China uses 陈; traditional-character writing uses 陳.

Older forms of the character are recorded in bronze inscriptions from the Western Zhou and early Spring and Autumn periods. An early documented use is as the place-name Chen; the ancient state of Chen later gave its name to a family. The Shuowen Jiezi, an early dictionary of Chinese characters, associates 陳 with Wanqiu, the fief—a territory granted to a lord—of Gui Man.

A 1956 State Council simplification scheme standardized 陈 in modern mainland writing. That dates its adoption into the modern standard, not the origin of the character or surname.

How do I type 陈?

Use Chinese Pinyin input, type chen, then select 陈. Pinyin is a system for writing Mandarin sounds with Latin letters; the letters alone are not enough, so choose 陈 from the candidate list.

For 陳, use an input method that offers traditional characters or switch its output to Traditional where supported. The input spelling and output setting are separate: typing chen does not by itself specify simplified or traditional writing.