Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.3, 2013

 

An Examination of the Absence of Ge and Shi in the Sui Dynasty: Some Issues in Sui Legislation and the Sui Legal System 

(Abstract)

 

Lou Jin

 

Other than lǜ(律, laws) and lìng (令, decrees or orders), the Sui dynasty compiled no legal codes or statute books. The terms gé(格),shì (式), etc., following the practice of the Northern Wei dynasty, were broadly used to refer to lǜ, lìng and other laws and regulations. In particular, edicts or regulations issued in specific cases or circumstances might be referred to as gé or shì or by other names, with no fixed rule; these were not specialized names for particular legal forms. Therefore, the Sui dynasty did not develop a legal code consisting of the lǜ, lìng, gé and shì, as did the Tang dynasty. The relationship between the lǜ, the lìng and the various edicts and regulations remained at the heart of Sui legislation and its judiciary, and also represents its main experiences and lessons.