What is "cangue"

Cangue \Cangue\ (k[a^]ng), n. [Written also cang.] [F. cangue, fr. Pg. canga yoke.] A very broad and heavy wooden collar which certain offenders in China are compelled to wear as a punishment.

n. A heavy wooden collar or yoke borne on the shoulders and enclosing the neck and arms, formerly used in China to punish petty criminals.

n. an instrument of punishment formerly used in China for petty criminals; consists of a heavy wooden collar enclosing the neck and arms

A cangue or tcha is a device that was used for public humiliation and corporal punishment in China and some other parts of East Asia and Southeast Asia until the early years of the twentieth century. It was also occasionally used for or during torture. Because it restricted a person's movements, it was common for people wearing cangues to starve to death as they were unable to feed themselves.

The word "cangue" is French, from the Portuguese "canga," which means yoke, the carrying tool has also been used to the same effect, with the hands tied to each arm of the yoke. Frequently translated as pillory, it was similar to that European punishment except that the board of the cangue was not fixed to a base and had to be carried around by the prisoner.