If students did not follow the rules, or could not recite their lessons by heart, the teacher would strike them in the head or the palm of the hand. It was common for youths to be beaten until the skin broke or swelled up with severe bruising.
學生如不守規矩，或背書不出，先生就用戒方打頭或手心，打破打腫，都是司空見慣的事。