五刑

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); 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)