《周礼·秋官司寇·士师&朝士》
县士掌理野地公邑的诉讼，各掌所属公邑的人民数，并纠察他们遵守戒令的情况，而受理他们的诉讼，审察他们的讼辞，辨别案情的轻重，区别死罪或施刑之罪而写出判决意见，过三十天再在外朝对案件加以审断。
县士掌野，各掌其县之民数，纠其戒令而听其狱讼，察其辞，辨其狱讼，异其死刑之罪而要之。
The xian shi handles legal disputes occurring in the undeveloped areas of the public town. They keep a register of the people in each public town under their control and check on their compliance with the restrictions imposed on them. They handle their legal disputes, examine their petitions, decide the seriousness of the cases, and distinguish between serious crimes that carry the death penalty or lesser crimes that carry lesser punishments. They will then write their opinions on the judgments and, thirty days later, adjudicate the cases in an outer court.