Five Punishments

The Five Punishments (Chinese: 五刑; pinyin: Wǔ Xíng) was the collective name for a series of physical penalties meted out by the legal system of pre-modern Dynastic China. Over time, the nature of the Five Punishments varied. Before the time of Western Han Dynasty Emperor Han Wendi (r. 180–157 BC) they involved tattooing, cutting off the nose, amputation of one or both feet, castration and death. Following the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581–907 CE) these were changed to penal servitude, banishment, death, or corporal punishment in the form of whipping with bamboo strips or flogging with a stick. Although the Five Punishments were an important part of Dynastic China's penal system they were not the only methods of punishment used.

The earliest users of the Five Punishments are believed by some to be the Sanmiao Clan (三苗氏). Other sources claim they originated with Chi You, the legendary creator of metalwork and weapons and leader of the ancient Nine Li (九黎) ethnic group. During the subsequent Xia Dynasty (ca. 2070 BCE–ca. 1600 BCE), Qi of Xia, son of Yu the Great, the dynasty’s founder, adopted the Miao’s punishments of amputation of one or both feet (yuè 刖), cutting off of the nose (yì 劓), chiseling (zhuó 琢), tattooing the face or forehead (qíng 黥) and other types of punishment. Tattooing, amputation of the nose or feet, removal of the reproductive organs and death became the main five forms of the punishment system during this period. From the Xia Dynasty onwards through the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BCE) and the Zhou Dynasty (1046–256 BCE). The “Five Punishments for Slaves” were abolished during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han following a petition from a female subject Chunyu Tiying (淳于緹縈), and replaced by the “Five Punishments for Serfs”.

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