《晋书·志·第二十章》
传说 三皇作出规定后人民不违反，五帝刻画刑罚图像而人民知道了禁令 ，这正是《书》中所说的 在器物上刻画五种常用的刑罚。用流放的办法宽恕犯了五刑的人，用鞭打作为治官的刑罚，用木条打作为学校的刑罚 。
传曰 三皇设言而民不违，五帝画象而民知禁 ，则《书》所谓 象以典刑，流宥五刑，鞭作官刑，扑作教刑 者也。
It is said that when the Three Sovereigns made the regulations, the people transgressed them not; when the Five Emperors made the delineations of punishments, the people were familiar with the prohibitions: this was what is meant in the Shu by "delineating the five current punishments on instruments and vessels." Hence the offender who received the five punishments was sent into banishment; and the official who was beaten was beaten with the scourge; and the scholar who was beaten was beaten with a stick. 