◎ 五刑 wǔxíng
[the five chief forms of punishment in ancient China] 我国古代的五种刑罚,通常指墨、劓、宫、大辟,也指笞、杖、徒、流、死
古代五种轻重不等的刑法：(1) 秦以前为墨、劓、剕、宫、大辟。《书经．舜典》：「汝作士，五刑有服。」汉．孔安国．传：「五刑，墨、劓、剕、宫、大辟。」(2) 秦汉时为黥、劓、斩左右趾、枭首、菹其骨肉。《汉书．卷二三．刑法志》：「令曰：『当三族者，皆先黥、劓、斩左右止、笞杀之，枭其首，菹其骨肉于市。其诽谤詈诅者，又先断舌。』故谓之具五刑。」(3) 隋唐以后为死、流、徒、杖、笞。《旧唐书．卷五○．刑法志》：「有笞、杖、徒、流、死为五刑。」(4) 现行刑法分为死刑、无期徒刑、有期徒刑、拘役、罚金五项。
英语 imperial five punishments of feudal China, up to Han times: tattooing characters on the forehead 墨[mo4], cutting off the nose 劓[yi4], amputation of one or both feet 刖[yue4], castration 宮|宫[gong1], execution 大辟[da4 pi4], Han dynasty onwards: whipping 笞[chi1], beating the legs and buttocks with rough thorns 杖[zhang4], forced labor 徒[tu2], exile or banishment 流[liu2], capital punishment 死[si3]