591: : For relatives, this position was measured by the kind and duration of mourning that had to be observed for each degree of kinship. Relations outside the family were defined according to positions in a social hierarchy capped by the emperor himself. In this hierarchy, officials were higher than ordinary men, who were themselves superior to persons of servile status. For instance, a slave committing a crime against his master was punished more severely than if an ordinary person had committed the same crime. The same offence committed by the master against his slave, on the other hand, resulted in a
618:'five hearings' was a Chinese technique for eliciting the facts of a case. While questioning a witness, the magistrate would look closely for five kinds of behavior: "the person's statements, expression, breathing, reaction to the words of the judge, and eyes. Through careful observation, it was thought that the experienced magistrate could arrive at a knowledge of whether the person was, in fact, telling the truth."
33:
622:
was able to withstand the full amount of torture without making a confession, the magistrate would use the same torture on the accuser. If the tortured accuser admitted making a false accusation, he would receive the same punishment that would have been inflicted upon the accused had this latter been convicted.
621:
If a magistrate was unable to decide a case on the basis of evidence and witness testimony, he could seek the permission of higher officials to use judicial torture. The accused could be beaten no more than 200 blows in up to three interrogations held at least twenty days apart. But when the accused
603:
acted as examiner and sometimes as investigator, but his final role in legal cases was to determine the proper penalty for the offense that had been committed: he had to fix the nature of the offense as defined by the code, and to increase or reduce the associated penalty depending on the social
692:'interrogation stick', which was approximately 40 inches (101.6 centimetres) long and .32 in (0.8 cm) and .22 inches (0.6 centimetres) wide at the large and small ends respectively. The magistrate himself would be punished if other means were used to try to force a confession.
423:(268). Aiming to smooth the earlier laws and reduce physical punishments (such as mutilations) in order to appease social tensions in the newly pacified Tang territories, it was created in AD 624 at the request of
390:
interpretations of law. Created in AD 624 and modified in AD 627 and 637, it was promulgated in AD 652 with 502 articles in 12 sections and enhanced with a commentary (the
571:
described it as "a very rational system of justice" in which "both the accuser and the officials involved had to be careful lest they themselves face punishment". The
323:
625:
The offence modulated according to the degree of social relation determined the final penalty which could range from flagellation using a
295:
886:
839:
378:. Supplemented by civil statutes and regulations, it became the basis for later dynastic codes not only in China but elsewhere in
933:
87:
567:"an admirable composition of faultless logic in spite of its size and complexity." The American sinologists Wallace Johnson and
928:
343:
316:
383:
24:
938:
290:
600:
309:
403:, the Tang Code is also the earliest Chinese code to have been transmitted to the present in its complete form.
650:
The code imposed two years of forced labor on any private household found in possession of such works as the
432:
428:
400:
235:
280:
229:
702:
424:
155:
257:
923:
52:
568:
396:
178:
125:
727:
Jianfu Chen (1960) p.9., Chinese Law: Context and
Transformation: Revised and Expanded Edition,
882:
835:
130:
57:
728:
658:
575:
contained more than 500 articles divided into twelve large sections (see right-side table).
62:
832:
Graphics and Text in the
Production of Technical Knowledge in China: the Warp and the Weft
361:
881:(Second ed.), Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, pp. 801 pages,
560:
917:
652:
412:
222:
198:
102:
674:
divination. The practice was preserved in the legal practice until the Song dynasty.
634:
371:
193:
140:
906:
Johnson, Wallace and Denis
Twitchett (1993), "Criminal Procedure in T'ang China",
876:
790:
773:
755:
721:
420:
160:
557:
252:
203:
188:
145:
72:
67:
47:
630:
387:
379:
262:
241:
32:
830:
Francesca Bray; Vera
Dorofeeva-Lichtmann; Georges Métailié, eds. (2007),
670:
150:
135:
82:
678:
638:
416:
92:
664:
626:
585: : The Tang Code clearly associated each offence with a penalty.
351:
285:
183:
120:
578:
The penalty for an offence was determined according to two factors:
478:
Offences committed by officials in the exercise of their functions
853:
The Tang Code translated by
Wallace Johnson volume II, article 482
415:(564) dynasty, which was itself based on the earlier codes of the
375:
97:
77:
427:. After further revisions in 627 and 637 under the influence of
247:
370:) was a penal code that was established and used during the
486:
Laws concerning peasant families (lands, taxes, marriages)
729:
https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2xyDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA9
595:
penalty than the same crime committed by a common person.
468:
Laws relating to passing into or through forbidden places
399:) in 653. Considered one of the greatest achievements of
637:, exile with penal labour, and death by strangulation (
431:, the code was completed by commentaries in 653, under
470:(imperial palaces, town gates, walls, frontier posts)
442:
682:
608:
391:
677:
Specific rules governed the application of judicial
542:Laws concerning the apprehension of guilty persons
510:Offences against the person and against property
494:Laws related to state stud-farms and storehouses
411:The Tang code took its roots in the code of the
550:Laws relating to the administration of justice
901:The Tang Code: Volume One: General Principles
687:
613:
317:
8:
768:
766:
764:
750:
748:
746:
744:
742:
740:
738:
518:Offences committed in the course of brawls
324:
310:
15:
903:. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
681:. The only instrument permitted was the
713:
502:Laws relating to the raising of troops
366:
23:
820:Johnson and Twitchett (1993), 128-129.
811:Johnson and Twitchett (1993), 125-126.
604:relation between offender and victim.
439:Organization and system of punishments
7:
534:Various laws of a special character
892:Originally published in French as
862:Johnson and Twitchett (1993), 128.
802:Johnson and Twitchett (1993), 135.
296:Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius
14:
899:Johnson, Wallace, trans. (1979),
878:A History of Chinese Civilization
787:A History of Chinese Civilization
31:
460:General definitions and rules
356:
347:
1:
683:
609:
526:Forgery and counterfeiting
392:
291:Discourses on Salt and Iron
955:
910:3rd series, 6.2, 113–146.
688:
614:
875:Gernet, Jacques (1996),
633:with a bamboo stick, to
607:The historically famous
934:Tang dynasty literature
401:traditional Chinese law
382:. The Code synthesized
929:Legal history of China
281:Rectification of names
230:The Book of Lord Shang
834:, BRILL, p. 23,
703:Great Qing Legal Code
556:French historian and
425:Emperor Gaozu of Tang
662:, which are used in
754:Gernet (1996),ball
641:) or decapitation.
589:Relational position
445:
236:Shenzi (both books)
53:Marquess Wen of Wei
19:Part of a series on
939:7th century in law
569:Denis C. Twitchett
443:
407:Origin and context
258:Annals of Lü Buwei
179:Emperor Wen of Sui
126:Emperor Wen of Han
554:
553:
334:
333:
275:Relevant articles
131:Emperor Wu of Han
946:
894:Le monde chinois
891:
863:
860:
854:
851:
845:
844:
827:
821:
818:
812:
809:
803:
800:
794:
785:Jacques Gernet,
783:
777:
770:
759:
752:
733:
718:
691:
690:
686:
659:Yellow River Map
617:
616:
612:
601:local magistrate
446:
395:
368:
358:
349:
326:
319:
312:
63:Duke Xiao of Qin
35:
25:Chinese legalism
16:
954:
953:
949:
948:
947:
945:
944:
943:
914:
913:
889:
874:
871:
866:
861:
857:
852:
848:
842:
829:
828:
824:
819:
815:
810:
806:
801:
797:
784:
780:
772:Gernet (1996),
771:
762:
753:
736:
720:Gernet (1996),
719:
715:
711:
699:
647:
563:has called the
469:
441:
429:Emperor Taizong
409:
330:
301:
300:
276:
268:
267:
217:
209:
208:
174:
166:
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116:
108:
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43:
12:
11:
5:
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950:
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941:
936:
931:
926:
916:
915:
912:
911:
904:
897:
887:
870:
867:
865:
864:
855:
846:
840:
822:
813:
804:
795:
778:
760:
734:
732:
731:
712:
710:
707:
706:
705:
698:
695:
694:
693:
675:
646:
643:
597:
596:
586:
561:Jacques Gernet
552:
551:
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543:
540:
536:
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277:
274:
273:
270:
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216:Relevant texts
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60:
55:
50:
44:
41:
40:
37:
36:
28:
27:
21:
20:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
951:
940:
937:
935:
932:
930:
927:
925:
922:
921:
919:
909:
905:
902:
898:
895:
890:
888:9780521497817
884:
880:
879:
873:
872:
868:
859:
856:
850:
847:
843:
841:9789004160637
837:
833:
826:
823:
817:
814:
808:
805:
799:
796:
792:
788:
782:
779:
775:
769:
767:
765:
761:
757:
751:
749:
747:
745:
743:
741:
739:
735:
730:
726:
725:
723:
717:
714:
708:
704:
701:
700:
696:
685:
680:
676:
673:
672:
667:
666:
661:
660:
655:
654:
653:Luoshu Square
649:
648:
644:
642:
640:
636:
632:
628:
623:
619:
611:
605:
602:
594:
590:
587:
584:
581:
580:
579:
576:
574:
570:
566:
562:
559:
549:
546:
545:
541:
538:
537:
533:
530:
529:
525:
522:
521:
517:
514:
513:
509:
506:
505:
501:
498:
497:
493:
490:
489:
485:
482:
481:
477:
474:
473:
467:
464:
463:
459:
456:
455:
451:
448:
447:
438:
436:
434:
430:
426:
422:
418:
414:
413:Northern Zhou
406:
404:
402:
398:
394:
389:
385:
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377:
373:
369:
363:
359:
353:
345:
341:
340:
327:
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308:
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304:
297:
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220:
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213:
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205:
202:
200:
199:Zhang Juzheng
197:
195:
192:
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187:
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182:
180:
177:
176:
173:Later figures
170:
169:
162:
159:
157:
154:
152:
149:
147:
144:
142:
139:
137:
134:
132:
129:
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118:
112:
111:
104:
103:Qin Shi Huang
101:
99:
96:
94:
91:
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84:
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76:
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71:
69:
66:
64:
61:
59:
56:
54:
51:
49:
46:
45:
39:
38:
34:
30:
29:
26:
22:
18:
17:
907:
900:
893:
877:
869:Bibliography
858:
849:
831:
825:
816:
807:
798:
786:
781:
716:
669:
663:
657:
651:
635:penal labour
624:
620:
606:
598:
592:
588:
582:
577:
572:
564:
555:
410:
393:Tánglǜ shūyì
372:Tang dynasty
365:
355:
338:
337:
335:
240:
228:
221:
194:Li Shanchang
141:Gongsun Hong
924:Legal codes
684:xunqiuzhang
421:Western Jin
161:Zhuge Liang
115:Han figures
918:Categories
908:Asia Major
558:sinologist
444:Tang Code
362:Wade–Giles
253:Wei Liaozi
204:Xu Guangqi
189:Wang Anshi
146:Zhang Tang
73:Shen Buhai
68:Shang Yang
48:Guan Zhong
631:bastinado
573:Tang Code
565:Tang Code
388:Confucian
380:East Asia
339:Tang Code
263:Huang-Lao
242:Han Feizi
697:See also
671:Fengshui
449:Section
384:Legalist
367:T'ang lü
151:Huan Tan
136:Chao Cuo
88:Zhang Yi
83:Shen Dao
756:244-245
679:torture
656:or the
639:garrote
583:Offence
433:Gaozong
417:Cao-Wei
357:Táng lǜ
344:Chinese
156:Wang Fu
93:Han Fei
42:Figures
885:
838:
665:Yijing
627:rattan
610:wuting
364::
354::
352:pinyin
346::
286:Wu wei
223:Guanzi
184:Du You
121:Jia Yi
58:Li Kui
789:, p.
709:Notes
645:Facts
593:lower
452:Name
376:China
98:Li Si
78:Wu Qi
883:ISBN
836:ISBN
668:and
629:and
599:The
515:VIII
419:and
397:唐律疏議
386:and
336:The
248:Wuzi
791:245
774:244
722:244
689:訊囚杖
547:XII
507:VII
475:III
374:in
920::
763:^
737:^
724:.
615:五聽
539:XI
523:IX
499:VI
483:IV
465:II
435:.
360:;
350:;
348:唐律
896:.
793:.
776:.
758:.
531:X
491:V
457:I
342:(
325:e
318:t
311:v
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