The Five Punishments refers to two systems of punishment used in Ancient China. Before the the reign of Han Wudi of the Western Han, the Five Punishments referred to tatooing, cutting off the nose, cutting off the feet, castration, and beheading. After the Tang and Sui Dynasties, it referred to caning (using two different varieties of cane, the tai and zhang), imprisonment, exile, and execution. While the Five Punishments were an important part of penal system of dynastic China, they were by no means the only methods of punishment used.
Origin edit
One legend holds that the Five Punishments originated among the Sanmiao clan, the descendants of the Yellow Emperor; another version holds that it began among the legendary Li people. When the Sanmiao disappeared following the founding of the Xia Dynasty, their system of punishments were absorbed and adapted by the new state, becoming the foundation of its penal system. After the fall of the Xia, the Five Punishments continued to be widely used during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Following a memorial submitted to Han Wendi by Ti Ying, the original Five Punishments were discarded and replaced by more lenient penalties.
The First Five Punishments edit
The first Five Punishments were composed of one "capital punishment" and four forms of corporal punishment, though the injuries inflicted by corporal punishment were often severe and permanent.
- Mo, or tattooing，in which the criminal's head (usually the forehead) was tattooed.
- Yi, in which the criminal's nose was sliced off.
- Yue, in which the left, right, or both feet were cut off.
- Gong, or castration, in which the criminals genitals were removed.
- Da Bi, or capital punishment, which was further divided into lu (slaughter), peng (boiling), che lie (dismemberment by chariot), xiao tou (beheading and displaying the head on a pole), qishi (public execution), jiao (hanging), and ling chi (dismemberment).
封建制五刑 edit
女犯五刑 edit
对女性犯人，五刑似指：