Criminal Law (5th Edition)

Name: Criminal Law (5th Edition)
ISBN: 9787301106983

高铭暄 / 马克昌 / Zhao BingzhiPeking University Press · ChinaAug 2025

4.0

Word count: 762K words
Chapters: 42
ISBN: 9787301106983

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Summary

This textbook is one of the core course textbooks for law majors in national higher education institutions, compiled and published under the auspices of the Teaching Guidance Committee for Legal Disciplines of the Ministry of Education as part of the Twenty-First Century Course Textbook series. It is also a key national-level textbook for general higher education under the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. It is jointly authored by criminal law professors from several key national universities directly under the Ministry of Education, for use by undergraduate law students. This revision, based on the previous edition, takes into account developments in criminal legislation and judicial practice. It systematically and comprehensively expounds the basic principles and knowledge of Chinese criminal law, emphasizing scientific rigor, systematic completeness, and contemporary relevance, with a thorough updating that reflects Criminal Law Amendment (VIII), making the textbook more suited to the times and highly readable.

Editor's review

This book is one of the textbooks for 21st-century courses and a core-course textbook for law majors in national higher education institutions, and a national key textbook for general higher education under the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan." Co-authored by several criminal law professors from key universities directly under the Ministry of Education, its positioning is clear: to provide law undergraduates with systematic, comprehensive basic principles and knowledge of criminal law. Its strengths lie in a complete system and steady exposition, balancing scientific rigor, systematicity, and relative stability, and using the relevant content of Amendment (VIII) to the Criminal Law as the reference for revision, keeping the textbook aligned with developments in legislation and judicial practice. For beginners, it is suitable for building a knowledge framework of criminal law; for classroom learners, it is easy to consult repeatedly along with course progress. When reading, one should not merely memorize conclusions but attend to the hierarchy of concepts and the correspondence between statutory provisions and theory. Combining textbook reading with the original legal texts and classroom case discussions will yield more solid results.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Law undergraduates who need systematic study alongside criminal law courses
Readers about to begin studying criminal law who want to build a complete knowledge framework first
Law teachers or course tutors who need a systematic reference textbook
Cross-disciplinary readers with a legal background who want to systematically organize criminal law principles

Not a good fit for

Readers with no legal background who want light popular legal reading
Casual readers who only want case stories and are unwilling to understand abstract concepts
Readers needing casebooks, exercise books, or practical operation manuals

Reading tips

First read the table of contents and chapter introductions, drawing a hierarchical framework of criminal law knowledge
After each chapter, organize concepts and application conditions against the original legal texts
Bring classroom cases or public judgments into the textbook's views for brief analysis
Before exams, review chapter by chapter, focusing on restating principles rather than rote memorization

About the publisher

Peking University Press China · Founded in 1979

Peking University Press is a comprehensive university press whose publishing areas cover classical literature, popular science, social culture, world history, Western philosophy, and culture. Its catalogue contains 6,031 titles, with representative books including A Dream of Red Mansions, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (15th Edition) (with Einstein's classic papers on unified field theory and other topics), Elements, Conics, The Aristocratic Families of the Eastern Jin, The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume I), The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume II), and The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Representative authors include Cao Xueqin, Zhou Ruchang, Albert Einstein, Euclid, Apollonius, Tian Yuqing, Schelling, and Xian Gang. The press has developed distinctive strengths in classical Chinese literature and in the translation of Western philosophical classics, while also covering scientific classics and social and cultural studies. As public information is limited, this description is based only on the books in the catalogue and offers no further extrapolation.

版权信息
内容简介
作者简介
第五版说明
第五版重印说明
全国高等学校法学专业核心课程教材
绪言
一、刑法学的概念、对象和体系
二、刑法学的作用和研究方法
上编刑法总论
第一章刑法概说
第二章刑法的基本原则
第三章刑法的效力范围
第四章犯罪概念与犯罪构成
第五章犯罪客体
第六章犯罪客观方面
第七章犯罪主体
第八章犯罪主观方面
第九章正当行为
第十章故意犯罪的停止形态
第十一章共同犯罪
第十二章罪数形态
第十三章刑事责任
第十四章刑罚概说
第十五章刑罚的体系和种类
第十六章刑罚的裁量
第十七章刑罚裁量制度
第十八章刑罚执行制度
第十九章刑罚的消灭
下编刑法各论
第二十章刑法各论概述
第二十一章危害国家安全罪
第二十二章危害公共安全罪
第二十三章破坏社会主义市场经济秩序罪
第二十四章侵犯公民人身权利、民主权利罪
第二十五章侵犯财产罪
第二十六章妨害社会管理秩序罪
第二十七章危害国防利益罪
第二十八章贪污贿赂罪
第二十九章渎职罪
第三十章军人违反职责罪
后记

FAQ

Can I read this textbook directly without a legal background?

You can try, but it is not easy. The book is aimed at undergraduate legal education, with dense concepts and a strong system; readers with no foundation should first understand basic legal categories and general principles of criminal law, then follow the textbook, ideally with course instruction or a reliable guide, otherwise they may get stuck on memorizing terms.

What is the relationship between this book and the criminal law statutes?

The textbook systematically expounds criminal law principles and knowledge, while statutes are normative texts; the two cannot replace each other. When reading, use the textbook to understand concepts and the system, then return to the statutes to verify provisions; for theoretical statements in the textbook, also note their connection to current legislation and judicial practice.

Does the fifth edition include the latest legislative content?

According to the book, this revision incorporates developments in criminal law legislation and judicial practice and refers to the relevant content of Amendment (VIII). Readers should not treat the textbook as a compilation of statutes; for specific provisions and subsequent legislative changes, the current legal texts and authoritative releases should govern.

Can one handle criminal cases directly after reading it?

No. The textbook provides principles and a knowledge framework; handling criminal cases also requires evidence rules, procedural law, and practical training. It is better used as material for entry and system-building; for practice, further study should combine case files and norms under the guidance of teachers or experienced practitioners.

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About the author

高铭暄 Author

Gao Mingxuan is an author frequently mentioned in the field of Chinese legal textbooks, though reliable public information about him remains limited: his birth year, place of origin, education, and professional positions have not been reliably disclosed. Judging from the three works held in the collection, his writing centers on criminal law textbooks, including Criminal Law (9th Edition), Criminal Law (6th Edition), and Criminal Law (5th Edition). The repeated revisions suggest that the content is continually updated in line with legal provisions and teaching needs. In library classifications these textbooks fall under law and examinations, and they are aimed mainly at readers studying law school courses or preparing for legal professional qualification exams. The books typically combine conceptual explanation, doctrinal review, and summary of key points, with accurate and concise language suited to systematic review and reference. Because public information is limited, details of his life should not be speculated upon; readers may regard him as an author known for compiling criminal law textbooks.

马克昌 Author

Ma Kechang is an author in the field of Chinese legal textbooks, though publicly available information about him personally is currently quite limited. The library holds three of his works, all different editions of the textbook Criminal Law, including the sixth edition, the fifth edition, and the ninth edition, commonly classified under law and examination preparation. These works show that his writing centers on criminal law course teaching and exam-oriented needs, with content organized to systematically present basic concepts, principles, and institutions of criminal law. The language aims to be accurate and clearly structured, making the books suitable for classroom use and revision. The repeated revisions and editions suggest a degree of continuity and practical use in teaching, and the books offer reference value for readers studying foundational criminal law knowledge or preparing for related examinations.

Zhao Bingzhi Author · Chinese · 1956

Zhao Bingzhi, born in 1956 in Nanyang, Henan, was among the first doctoral graduates in criminal law in the People's Republic of China. He is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the College of Criminal Law Science and the Law School of Beijing Normal University, where he also served as dean. His long-term research covers Chinese criminal law, Chinese interregional criminal law and international criminal law, and his representative works include On the Subject of Crime and Explorations in Death Penalty Reform. Six of his works are included here, spanning criminal law textbooks, studies of scholarly thought, legal reasoning on major criminal cases, observations on anti-corruption efforts, analysis of an extradition case and research on recent legislative controversies in criminal law, showing a writing style that combines theoretical systems with judicial practice across the fields of examination preparation, law and politics.