According to the Mandarin dictionary published by Mandarin Daily News, the definition of "qingmian" is a form of punishment in ancient China in which words were tattooed on criminals 'faces. In Han Chinese culture, tattooing faces was aimed at warning others not to commit the same crimes, which is totally different from the decorative tattooing of Atayal people.
國語日報社出版的《國語辭典》，黥面的解釋是：古時在犯人額上刺字的刑罰，這種犯人叫「黥徒」，在漢人的文化裡，黥面有著「以儆效尤」的警告意味，和泰雅族的文面飾身，根本是兩回事。