Dictionary › 五刑

五刑

wǔ xíng

2-character word

What 五刑 means

1. imperial five punishments of feudal China, up to Han times: tattooing characters on the forehead {墨|mò}, cutting off the nose {劓|yì}, amputation of one or both feet {刖|yuè}, castration {宫|gōng}, execution {大辟|dà pì}
2. Han dynasty onwards: whipping {笞|chī}, beating the legs and buttocks with rough thorns {杖|zhàng}, forced labor {徒|tú}, exile or banishment {流|liú}, capital punishment {死|sǐ}

The characters in 五刑

• 五wǔfive; 5
• 刑xíngpunishment; penalty; sentence

Sounds the same

Read wǔ xíng, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 五行five phases of Chinese philosophy: wood 木, fire 火, earth 土, metal 金, water 水
• 五形Wuxing - "Five Animals" - Martial Art