A native of Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang) during the Song Dynasty. He held positions such as Chaofeng Lang, Secretary of the Treasury Department, and Commissioner in charge of the Pharmaceutical Bureau. Renowned for his medical expertise, he was as famous as Fei Zongyuan. During the Daguan period (1107-1110), Chen Shiwen and others proposed to the court the revision of medical texts. Shortly after, Emperor Huizong of Song approved this request and tasked Chen Shiwen, Chen Cheng, Pei Zongyuan, and others with revising the prescriptions of the Heji Bureau. Chen Shiwen and his colleagues extensively gathered materials and rigorously revised the texts, "correcting 708 characters and modifying over 70 prescriptions," resulting in the Hejiju Fang in 5 volumes, which had a profound impact on later generations.