Born in Taipei, Chen studied painting with Yenge Momoko when he was young. He attended the Dadaocheng Institute of Western Painting in 1927 and was taught by Kinichiro Ishikawa. From 1929 to 1940, he went to Japan and studied art at Hongu Art Institute and Nika Art Institute. Upon returning to Taiwan he joined the Taiyang Fine Art Association with several other artists. Chen was not a prolific artist, he spent most of his time researching art and perfecting his own creations. Chen died in Taipei, 1984.