×

We use cookies to help make LingQ better. By visiting the site, you agree to our cookie policy.

image

The Infographics Show, Chinese Torture Chair - Worst Punishments in the History of Mankind

Chinese Torture Chair - Worst Punishments in the History of Mankind

Try and imagine being arrested for a crime perhaps you either did or didn't commit.

You're taken to a room to be interrogated.

The experience is overwhelming as good cops and bad cops take their turn in trying to

question you, but you keep your cool and just keep uttering the magic words, “no comment.”

But let's go back in time and now imagine when you enter the interrogation room what

you see before you is the most horrendous looking contraption you've seen in your

short life.

It's a torture chair, or what we might call a cradle of pain; a device used to extract

information from you, and perhaps before you take your turn in this ghastly chair, you'll

get to see your friend torn apart first.

We have called this the “Chinese Torture Chair”, but seeing as similar devices were

used all over the world each country had their different take on the chair.

Sometimes it was simply called the torture chair, while in Europe during the Middle Ages

it was usually referred to as the Iron Chair.

In today's show we'll try and find examples of various iterations of this chair, where

it was used and how it was used, but let's first give you the basics.

First of all, this chair unlike many other torture devices in our punishment shows wasn't

always supposed to torture and then kill a person.

Someone could indeed make it out of the chair, although they would likely be severely injured

after their extremely uncomfortable sit-down.

The device was often used to scare the hell out of people, so in some ways it was used

as psychological torture as much as physical torture.

An example being, if a group of people were, say, accused of heresy or witchcraft, one

person would be tortured in the chair first and the rest of the group were made to watch.

After that, the other members would usually admit to anything they were accused of.

If the crime was a big one, the result would sometimes be execution.

This was hardly a great result, but at least they didn't have to face the cradle of pain.

So, what did these things look like?

Well, it was of course a chair and looked like a chair, with legs and arms and seat

and backrest.

It might have been made out of wood, but could have been made of iron.

This chair wasn't your typical lazy-boy recliner though, and would be adorned with

spikes, a design straight from the sadist's handbook.

There might be as many as 1,500 spikes all over the thing, on the arms, on the seat,

on the backrest.

Some of the spikes might not immediately puncture the skin, but if the person was tied tighter

to the chair during the interrogation, the spikes would pierce flesh and soon the person

would be oozing blood all over their body.

To make things even worse, sometimes fire or hot coals would be put underneath the chair,

and slowly the accused would feel unbearable pain as they were essentially cooked.

It seems to have been used until the 1800s in Europe, and the crimes allegedly committed

that might warrant the torture chair might be as bad as murder, but could have also been

witchcraft or even adultery.

Yep, imagine cheating on your spouse and finding yourself strapped to a torture chair.

That would sure cut down on adultery in this day and age, although we would think Humans

Rights organizations might have something to say about it.

The Chinese had a slightly different version of the torture chair, with far fewer spikes.

Their chair was in use from the 1700s to around 1900 and it consisted of mainly 12 large spikes

or blades around the device.

If they did not comply, their bodies would be fastened tighter to the chair and pain

would ensue.

Such torture might not kill a person immediately, but let's remember that in those days infections

could not be easily treated.

The wounds might eventually lead to death or if not at least disablement or some pretty

nasty scars.

We've seen a picture of one of these chairs, because some of them are now in museums, so

we will try and describe one.

There are three blades on the back, which look like upright swords.

The arms are covered with spikes, which are like jagged saw teeth.

The seat is also lined with blades and the footrest is lined with blades.

Because these are not nails, or thin spikes, the accused would have to be pressed down

for the blades to penetrate the skin.

You can only imagine what this would look like if the person didn't play along and

the pressing down was taken to its final conclusion.

The guy would be partly chopped, like a decorative piece of fruit.

Considering back then you could be flayed alive for defacing a book, you needn't have

committed the worst offense to find yourself in the chair.

Just so you know, in China today there are still things that are called interrogation

chairs, with something called the “Tiger Chair” still in use.

This is more like a normal chair that the prisoner is tied to, although China has said

these things are not used specifically used for torture but rather to keep people fastened

down.

In 2015 following global criticism, China said it now even pads the chairs.

Back to the Middle Ages and Europe and the spikes on the chair, numbering many, were

more like large thorns.

If pushed down on them the injury wouldn't make a person look like a partially chopped

potato, but with hundreds of those spikes much of the body would have been badly damaged.

No vital organs would be hit, but there would have been a lot of blood loss once the person

was taken out of the chair.

At the same time, if the confession didn't come fast enough a fire would be lit under

the iron chair and the roasting would commence.

We might ask how many people were actually tortured or killed this way, and one researcher

said that the chairs were more likely used to scare people rather than outright execute

them.

He said, “Although it would bring about a very slow and painful death, it was probably

used more symbolically.

With this thing in front of you, the chances are that you would comply with your captor

pretty quickly.”

Unlike the torture device known as the Iron Maiden, it's believed that these chairs

were definitely used and not just there to frighten people.

One historian and expert in Medieval Times said this is why such devices existed, “There

was an idea in the Middle Ages that you were really honest when you were under a lot of

punishment, under a lot of strain.

That the truth comes out when it starts to hurt.”

We did manage to find an account of one person who was fully roasted in the iron chair, which

was detailed in the book, “Europe's Inner Demons: The Demonization of Christians In

Medieval Christendom.”

This was a Christian who was roasted to death in a chair after he was accused of being a

cannibal.

He cried out while he was cooking, “What you are doing is indeed to eat men, but we

do not eat men, nor do we do anything wicked.”

That's according to one book, anyway.

The Latin has been translated differently in other books, but his sentiments were the

same.

Other examples tell us that in the 17th century the device was sometimes called the Witch's

Chair, because that's where women accused of being witches would no doubt admit they

were, even though they were not.

The witch hunts were very real, and the horrors inflicted on those women is stomach-churning.

How do you think you'd deal with a sit-down in one of these things?

Tell us in the comments.

Also, be sure to check out our other video The Catherine Wheel - Worst Punishments In

The History of Mankind.

Thanks for watching, and as always, don't forget to like, share and subscribe.

See you next time.

Learn languages from TV shows, movies, news, articles and more! Try LingQ for FREE

Chinese Torture Chair - Worst Punishments in the History of Mankind 中國刑椅|酷刑椅|||||||| Chinese Torture Chair||||||||| ||||Punições||||| Chinesischer Folterstuhl - Die schlimmsten Strafen in der Geschichte der Menschheit Κινέζικη καρέκλα βασανιστηρίων - Οι χειρότερες τιμωρίες στην ιστορία της ανθρωπότητας Silla de tortura china - Los peores castigos de la historia de la humanidad Chaise de torture chinoise - Les pires châtiments de l'histoire de l'humanité Sedia della tortura cinese - Le peggiori punizioni nella storia dell'umanità 중국 고문 의자 - 인류 역사상 최악의 형벌 Cadeira de tortura chinesa - Os piores castigos da história da humanidade Китайский стул для пыток - худшее наказание в истории человечества Çin İşkence Sandalyesi - İnsanlık Tarihinin En Kötü Cezaları Китайський стілець тортур - найгірші покарання в історії людства 中国酷刑椅——人类历史上最严重的刑罚 中國酷刑椅—人類史上最嚴重的刑罰

Try and imagine being arrested for a crime perhaps you either did or didn't commit. ||||被逮捕||||或許||無論是||||犯下罪行

You're taken to a room to be interrogated. |||||||審問 |||||||questioned |||||||interrogado

The experience is overwhelming as good cops and bad cops take their turn in trying to |經歷||壓倒性的|||警察||||||||| ||||||||||||беруть чергу||| ||||||policiais|||||||||

question you, but you keep your cool and just keep uttering the magic words, “no comment.” ||||||||||說出|||||不予置評 поцікакати тебе, але ти залишишся спокійним і лише продовжуєш повторювати чарівні слова: "без коментарів".

But let's go back in time and now imagine when you enter the interrogation room what |||||||||||||審訊室|| |||||||||||||interrogatório|| |||||||||||увійдеш до|||| Але давайте повернемося назад у часі і уявимо, що трапиться, коли ви увійдете в кімнату допиту, що перед вами

you see before you is the most horrendous looking contraption you've seen in your |||||||駭人的||裝置|||| |||||||жахливий||пристрій|||| |||||||horrenda||diante de você está a mais horrenda aparência de engenhoca que você já viu em sua|||| ви бачите найжахливіше виглядаючу машину, яку ви коли-небудь бачили у вашому житті

short life.

It's a torture chair, or what we might call a cradle of pain; a device used to extract ||刑具椅||||||||痛苦搖籃||||刑具|||提取 ||||||||||painful restraint device||||||| ||||||||||berço||||||| ||||||||називати|||||||||витягувати інформацію

information from you, and perhaps before you take your turn in this ghastly chair, you'll ||||也許||||||||可怕的||

get to see your friend torn apart first. |||||撕裂|撕裂|

We have called this the “Chinese Torture Chair”, but seeing as similar devices were

used all over the world each country had their different take on the chair.

Sometimes it was simply called the torture chair, while in Europe during the Middle Ages

it was usually referred to as the Iron Chair. |||稱為||||鐵椅子|

In today's show we'll try and find examples of various iterations of this chair, where |||||||||各種不同|各種版本|||| ||||||||||iterações|||| |||||||||різних варіантів|||||

it was used and how it was used, but let's first give you the basics.

First of all, this chair unlike many other torture devices in our punishment shows wasn't

always supposed to torture and then kill a person.

Someone could indeed make it out of the chair, although they would likely be severely injured ||確實||||||||||很可能||重傷|

after their extremely uncomfortable sit-down.

The device was often used to scare the hell out of people, so in some ways it was used ||||||||嚇壞人||||||||||

as psychological torture as much as physical torture. |心理上的|||||身體上的|

An example being, if a group of people were, say, accused of heresy or witchcraft, one ||||||||||被指控||異端邪說||巫術| ||||||||||||blasphemy or dissent||| ||||||||||||heresia||| |прикладом є||||||||||||||

person would be tortured in the chair first and the rest of the group were made to watch. |||seria torturada||||||||||||||

After that, the other members would usually admit to anything they were accused of. |||||||承認||||||

If the crime was a big one, the result would sometimes be execution. ||||||||||||處決 |||||великий|||||||

This was hardly a great result, but at least they didn't have to face the cradle of pain. ||幾乎不是|||||||||||||||

So, what did these things look like?

Well, it was of course a chair and looked like a chair, with legs and arms and seat

and backrest. |靠背 |encosto

It might have been made out of wood, but could have been made of iron.

This chair wasn't your typical lazy-boy recliner though, and would be adorned with ||||典型的|||躺椅|然而||||裝飾著| |||||||comfortable chair|||||decorated with| |||||||poltrona||||||

spikes, a design straight from the sadist's handbook. 尖刺|||||||虐待狂手冊 espinhos||||||do sadista|manual

There might be as many as 1,500 spikes all over the thing, on the arms, on the seat,

on the backrest. ||靠背上

Some of the spikes might not immediately puncture the skin, but if the person was tied tighter |||||||刺穿|||||||||更緊密地 |||||||perfurar|||||||||mais apertado Деякі|||шипи|||||||||||||

to the chair during the interrogation, the spikes would pierce flesh and soon the person |||||拷問中||||刺穿|肉體|||| |||||||||perfurar||||| під час допиту, шипи впивутся у плоть, і незабаром особа

would be oozing blood all over their body. ||滲出||||| почне витікати кров по всьому тілу.

To make things even worse, sometimes fire or hot coals would be put underneath the chair, |||||||||炭火||||在椅子下|| Щоб усе стало ще гірше, іноді під стілець підкладали вогонь або гаряче вугілля

and slowly the accused would feel unbearable pain as they were essentially cooked. |||被告者|||難以忍受|||||實際上| ||||||insuportável||||||

It seems to have been used until the 1800s in Europe, and the crimes allegedly committed ||||||||||||||據稱|犯下的 ||||||||||||||supposedly committed crimes| ||||||||||||||alegadamente|

that might warrant the torture chair might be as bad as murder, but could have also been ||可能需要|||||||||||||| ||justify|||||||||||||| ||justificar||||||||||||||

witchcraft or even adultery. |||通姦 |||extramarital affair |||adultério

Yep, imagine cheating on your spouse and finding yourself strapped to a torture chair. |||||配偶||||綁在椅子上||||

That would sure cut down on adultery in this day and age, although we would think Humans ||||||通姦|||||||||| Это, конечно, сократило бы количество прелюбодеяний в наше время, хотя мы думаем, что люди

Rights organizations might have something to say about it. |權利組織|||||||

The Chinese had a slightly different version of the torture chair, with far fewer spikes. ||||稍微||||||||少得多|更少的|

Their chair was in use from the 1700s to around 1900 and it consisted of mainly 12 large spikes ||||||||||||由...組成||||

or blades around the device. |刀片|||

If they did not comply, their bodies would be fastened tighter to the chair and pain ||||遵從||||||||||| ||||obedecessem|||||presos||||||

would ensue. |隨之而來 |follow afterward |seguiria

Such torture might not kill a person immediately, but let's remember that in those days infections |||||||||||||||感染症

could not be easily treated. ||||容易處理

The wounds might eventually lead to death or if not at least disablement or some pretty |傷口|||||||||||殘疾||| ||||||||||||permanent injury||| ||||||||||||incapacidade|||

nasty scars. 嚴重的疤痕|醜陋的疤痕 |cicatrizes

We've seen a picture of one of these chairs, because some of them are now in museums, so ||||||||cadeiras|||||||||

we will try and describe one.

There are three blades on the back, which look like upright swords. ||||||||||直立的|劍 |||||||||||espadas

The arms are covered with spikes, which are like jagged saw teeth. |||||||||鋸齒狀的|| |||||||||serrilhadas||

The seat is also lined with blades and the footrest is lined with blades. ||||||刀片|||腳踏板|||| |||||||||descanso para os pés||||

Because these are not nails, or thin spikes, the accused would have to be pressed down ||||釘子||||||||||| ||||||||||||||pressionado|

for the blades to penetrate the skin. ||||穿透|| ||||penetrar||

You can only imagine what this would look like if the person didn't play along and

the pressing down was taken to its final conclusion. ||||||||最終結論

The guy would be partly chopped, like a decorative piece of fruit. ||||部分地|切碎|||裝飾用的||| ||||||||ornamental||| ||||||||decorativo|||

Considering back then you could be flayed alive for defacing a book, you needn't have 考慮到||||||剝皮處死|||毀損書籍||||| ||||||skinned alive|||damaging or vandalizing||||| ||||||esfolado|||desfigurar||||| Если учесть, что в те времена за порчу книги можно было быть забитым заживо, то не стоило

committed the worst offense to find yourself in the chair. 犯下||最嚴重|罪行|||||| совершил самое страшное преступление, оказавшись в кресле.

Just so you know, in China today there are still things that are called interrogation

chairs, with something called the “Tiger Chair” still in use.

This is more like a normal chair that the prisoner is tied to, although China has said |||||||||囚犯|||||||

these things are not used specifically used for torture but rather to keep people fastened |||||專門地|||||而是||||

down.

In 2015 following global criticism, China said it now even pads the chairs. |||批評聲浪||||||墊子|| |||||||||adds cushioning to|| |||||||||estofa||

Back to the Middle Ages and Europe and the spikes on the chair, numbering many, were |||||||||||||numeração||

more like large thorns. |||更像大刺 |||espinhos

If pushed down on them the injury wouldn't make a person look like a partially chopped ||||||||||||||部分地| ||||||||||||||parcialmente|

potato, but with hundreds of those spikes much of the body would have been badly damaged.

No vital organs would be hit, but there would have been a lot of blood loss once the person |重要的|器官|||||||||||||||| ||órgãos||||||||||||||||

was taken out of the chair.

At the same time, if the confession didn't come fast enough a fire would be lit under ||||||供詞|||||||||點燃火焰|

the iron chair and the roasting would commence. |||||烘烤開始||開始進行 |||||a tortura||

We might ask how many people were actually tortured or killed this way, and one researcher

said that the chairs were more likely used to scare people rather than outright execute |||||||||||||直接地|處決 |||||||||||||simplesmente|

them.

He said, “Although it would bring about a very slow and painful death, it was probably

used more symbolically. ||象徵性地使用 ||simbolicamente

With this thing in front of you, the chances are that you would comply with your captor |||||||||||||服從|||綁架者 ||||||||||||||||sequestrador

pretty quickly.”

Unlike the torture device known as the Iron Maiden, it's believed that these chairs ||||||||鐵處女|||||

were definitely used and not just there to frighten people. ||||||||嚇唬|

One historian and expert in Medieval Times said this is why such devices existed, “There |歷史學家||||中世紀時期|||||||||

was an idea in the Middle Ages that you were really honest when you were under a lot of

punishment, under a lot of strain. |||||壓力 |||||stress or pressure |||||pressão

That the truth comes out when it starts to hurt.”

We did manage to find an account of one person who was fully roasted in the iron chair, which

was detailed in the book, “Europe's Inner Demons: The Demonization of Christians In |詳述於|||||內部的|歐洲內心的惡魔||妖魔化||基督徒| |||||da Europa||demônios||foi detalhada no livro "Os Demônios Interiores da Europa: A Demonização dos Cristãos em"|||

Medieval Christendom.” |中世基督教世界 |Christian world |Cristandade

This was a Christian who was roasted to death in a chair after he was accused of being a |||基督徒|||||||||||||||

cannibal. 食人者 Cannibalistic person. canibal

He cried out while he was cooking, “What you are doing is indeed to eat men, but we Во время приготовления пищи он воскликнул: "То, что вы делаете, - это действительно еда для людей, но мы

do not eat men, nor do we do anything wicked.” |||||||||邪惡的 не едим человечины и не делаем ничего худого".

That's according to one book, anyway.

The Latin has been translated differently in other books, but his sentiments were the |||||||||||情感|| |Latin text||||||||||||

same.

Other examples tell us that in the 17th century the device was sometimes called the Witch's

Chair, because that's where women accused of being witches would no doubt admit they ||||||||||||承認他們| Председатель, потому что именно здесь женщины, обвиненные в ведьмовстве, без сомнения, признают, что они

were, even though they were not.

The witch hunts were very real, and the horrors inflicted on those women is stomach-churning. ||獵巫行動|||||||施加於|||||令人作嘔|令人作嘔 |||||||||||||||nauseating ||caças|||||||||||||revoltante

How do you think you'd deal with a sit-down in one of these things?

Tell us in the comments.

Also, be sure to check out our other video The Catherine Wheel - Worst Punishments In

The History of Mankind.

Thanks for watching, and as always, don't forget to like, share and subscribe.

See you next time.