五刑

wǔxíng

noun

Meanings

1 the Five Punishments of imperial China

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

从隋朝开始，五刑就是笞、杖、徒、流、死。

Cóng Suícháo kāishǐ, wǔxíng jiùshì chī, zhàng, tú, liú, sǐ.

From the Sui dynasty on, the Five Punishments were light beating, heavy beating, penal labour, exile and death.

HSK 7-9

上古的五刑大多是肉刑，比如在脸上刺字的墨刑。

Shànggǔ de wǔxíng dàduō shì ròuxíng, bǐrú zài liǎn shàng cìzì de mòxíng.

The Five Punishments of high antiquity were mostly mutilations, such as tattooing the face.

Tips

history

The early five were 墨, tattooing the face, 劓, cutting off the nose, 剕, cutting off the feet, 宫, castration, and 大辟, death. Emperor Wen of Han began abolishing mutilation in 167 BC, and the Sui code fixed the later set of beating, penal labour, exile and death, which lasted until the final years of the Qing.

Stroke Order

五 wǔ

刑 xíng