Ten Abominations

The Ten Abominations (十惡) were a list of offenses under traditional Chinese law which were regarded as the most abhorrent, and which threatened the well-being of civilized society. They are listed below. The first three were capital offences:

  1. Plotting rebellion (曰謀反): to overthrow the current regime. Commentary states:"The ruler or parent has no harbors [of plots]. If he does have such plots, he must put them to death." This means that if there are those who harbor rebellious hearts that would harm that would harm the ruler or father, he must then put them to death.
  2. Plotting great sedition (曰謀大逆): to damage or destroy royal temples, tumuli, or palaces. Ancient Chinese believe in feng shui, thus damaging aforementioned royal properties would be equivalent to casting a curse to the sovereign. This type of person breaks laws and destroys order and goes contrary to virtue.
  3. Plotting treason (曰謀叛): to defect to an enemy state, usually carrying national secrets. The kindness of father and mother is like "great heaven, illimitable." Let one's heart be like the xiao bird or the jing best, and then love and respect both cease. Those whose relationship is within the five degrees of mourning are the closest kin. For them to kill each other is the extreme abonimation and the utmost in rebellion, destroying and casting aside human principles. Therefore this is called contumacy
  4. Contumacy (曰惡逆): to harm or murder one's own parents and grandparents; to murder one's own or husband's elder relatives.
  5. Depravity (曰不道): to murder three or more innocent people; to disembowel a victim's body after committing a murder; to produce gu and use it to cast curses.
  6. Great irreverence (曰大不敬): to show disrespect to the emperor or the royal family.
  7. Lack of filial piety (曰不孝): to ill-treat one's parents or grandparents, or to procure entertainment during grief periods (up to three years in case of the death of one's parents).
  8. Discord (曰不睦): to harm or sue one's husband or elder relatives.
  9. Unrighteousness (曰不義): to murder one's superior, mentor, or local government officials.
  10. Incest (曰內亂): to have affairs with concubine(s) of one's father, grandfather, or elder male relatives.

Legal privileges, such as the Eight Deliberations, were not applicable to the Ten Abominations due to their seriousness.