Lingchi

An 1858 illustration from the French newspaper Le Monde illustré, of the lingchi execution of a French missionary, Auguste Chapdelaine, in China
Lingchi
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese凌遲
Simplified Chinese凌迟
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinlíngchí
Wade–Gilesling2-ch'ih2
IPA[lǐŋ.ʈʂʰɨ̌]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationlìhng-chìh
Jyutpingling4-ci4
IPA[lɪŋ˩.tsʰi˩]
Southern Min
Tâi-lôlêng-tî
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabettùng xẻo
lăng trì
Hán-Nôm丛刟
凌遲

Lingchi (IPA: [lǐŋ.ʈʂʰɨ̌], Chinese: 凌遲), usually translated "slow slicing" or "death by a thousand cuts", was a form of torture and execution used in China from around the 10th century until the early 20th century. It was also used in Vietnam and Korea. In this form of execution, a knife was used to methodically remove portions of the body over an extended period of time, eventually resulting in death. Lingchi was reserved for crimes viewed as especially heinous, such as treason. Even after the practice was outlawed, the concept itself has still appeared across many types of media.