Chen was born in 1940 in Shalu Township, Taichung County. World War II was raging at the time, and Chen's family left Shalu for Paihe in Tainan County when he was four months old to avoid the conflict.
一九四○年在二次世界大戰戰火中出生於台中縣沙鹿鎮的陳天陽，四個月大，即隨家人遷居台南白河避難。