Before you hit someone, count this ledger: detention, compensation, and prison

The bill for one strike: detention for 5 to 10 days, plus a fine of 500 to 1000 yuan. Causing minor injury makes it a criminal case, up to 3 years; serious injury, 3 to 10 years. Money is separate: someone who broke three of the other person’s ribs paid 113000 yuan (11.3万) to settle and was not charged. Another broke the other person’s radius, did not pay, and got 10 months.

Cost

No money and no time. The hard part is those few seconds before you strike.

Benefit

Hitting or intentionally injuring someone brings detention for 5 to 10 days plus a fine of 500 to 1000 yuan. Hitting in a group, hitting people with disabilities, pregnant women, the elderly, or children, hitting repeatedly, or hitting several people at once brings detention for 10 to 15 days plus a fine of 1000 to 2000 yuan. Causing minor injury is intentional injury, punishable by up to 3 years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention (short custody), or public surveillance (not locked up but movement restricted). Causing serious injury brings 3 to 10 years. Civilly you also pay medical costs, lost wages (pay missed from work), nursing costs, transport, hospital meal allowance, and nutrition. Disabling someone adds disability compensation. Disability compensation is the prior year’s average urban disposable income where the trial court sits, times 20 years. For injured persons aged 60 or more, subtract one year per year of age; at 75 or more, use 5 years. In 2022 procuratorates nationwide accepted over 70000 (7万余) minor-injury cases, mostly from marriage, family, or neighbor disputes or chance events. Supreme People’s Procuratorate typical case: Lu broke three of the other person’s ribs (minor injury level 2), paid 113000 yuan (11.3万) to reach a settlement, and obtained non-prosecution. Shi broke the other person’s radius (minor injury level 2), did not pay, and got 10 months of fixed-term imprisonment (nationwide; Public Security Administration Punishment Law in force from 1 January 2026)

Notes

How to avoid conflict, why striking first costs you, and where justifiable defense ends are in Section 8, item 10 (conflict and justifiable defense). The ledger for striking out of spite is in Section 8, items 12 to 14. For fights from civil disputes with lighter circumstances, police may mediate. When minor injury is caused, agreeing compensation with the other side and actually paying can lighten the outcome or even bring non-prosecution, but the money paid cannot be short by a fen. What counts as minor injury is set by appraisal standards; this section has not verified them. Lost wages and nursing costs are reckoned from actual income and days missed; there is no single figure.

Sources · 5

1. 全国人大常委会 (2025). 治安管理处罚法（2025 年修订，第九、五十一条）. spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202506/t20250627_699863.shtml
2. 全国人大 (1997). 刑法（第二百三十四条）. spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/201802/t20180206_364975.shtml
3. 最高人民法院 (2022 修正). 关于审理人身损害赔偿案件适用法律若干问题的解释（法释〔2022〕14 号，第六至十二、十五条）. court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/357071.html
4. 最高人民检察院、公安部 (2023). 关于依法妥善办理轻伤害案件的指导意见. spp.gov.cn/spp/xwfbh/wsfbt/202303/t20230302_6…
5. 最高人民检察院 (2023). 检察机关依法妥善办理轻伤害案件典型案例. spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/dxal/202303/t20230302_605116…