The dates of birth and death are unknown. Chen Cheng was renowned for his medical skills during the Yuanyou period (1086-1093) of the Northern Song Dynasty. His ancestral home was in Langzhong (present-day Langzhong, Sichuan), and he was the great-grandson of Chen Yaozuo, a famous prime minister of the early Song Dynasty. Chen Cheng lost his father at a young age and moved with his mother to the Liao-Huai region, supporting his family through medical practice. His clinical treatments were often remarkably effective, and he was known for his preference for cooling medicines, gaining fame far and wide. Chen Cheng combined the Jiayou Supplemented Shennong Bencao and Tujing Bencao, appending ancient and modern commentaries as well as his own observations, and compiled the Chongguang Supplemented Shennong Bencao with Illustrations in 23 volumes in the seventh year of Yuanyou (1092). Chen Cheng also participated in the revision and supplementation of the Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang during the Daguan period (1107-1110), and he held the official position of Jiangshilang, responsible for arranging and reviewing medical texts.