宜多备糟醋。衬尸纸惟有藤连纸、白抄纸可用；若竹纸，见盐、醋多烂，恐侵损尸体
HT 尸于平稳、光明地上，先检验一遍，用水冲洗。次 皂角洗涤尸垢腻，又以水
冲荡洁净。(洗时下用门扇、簟席衬，不惹尘土)洗了，如法用糟醋拥罨尸首，仍以死人衣物
尽盖，用煮醋淋，又以荐席罨一时久。候尸体透软，即去盖物，以水冲去糟醋，方验。不得
信行人说，只将酒醋泼过，痕损不出。
初春与冬月，宜热煮醋及炒糟令热。仲春与残秋宜微热。夏秋之内，糟醋微热，以天气
炎热，恐伤皮肉。秋将深，则用热，尸左右手、肋相去三、四尺，加火 ，以气候差凉
。冬雪寒凛，尸首僵冻，糟醋虽极热，被衣重叠，拥罨亦不得尸体透软。当掘坑，长阔于尸
，深三尺，取炭及木柴遍铺坑内，以火烧令通红。多以醋沃之，气勃勃然，方连拥罨法物衬
簟，HT 尸置于坑内。仍用衣被覆盖，再用热醋淋遍。坑两边相去二、三尺，复以火烘。
约透，去火，移尸出验。冬残春初，不必掘坑，只用火烘两边，看节候详度。
湖南风俗，检死人皆于尸傍开一深坑，用火烧红，去火，入尸在坑内。泼上糟醋，又四
面用火逼良久，扛出尸。或行凶人争痕损，或死人骨属相争不肯认，至于有三四次扛入火坑
重检者。人尸至三四次经火，肉色皆焦赤，痕损愈不分明，行吏因此为奸。未至一两月间，
肉皆溃烂。及其家有论诉，差到聚检官时已是数月，止有骨殖，肉上痕损并不得而知。火坑
法独湖南如此，守官者宜知之。
应当多准备酒糟和醋。垫在尸体下的纸张只有藤连纸、白抄纸可以使用；如果是竹纸，遇到盐和醋容易腐烂，恐怕会侵蚀损伤尸体。
将尸体放置在平稳、光线明亮的地方，先检查一遍，用水冲洗。接着用皂角洗涤尸身上的污垢油腻，再用水冲洗干净。（清洗时下面要用门扇或竹席垫衬，以免沾染尘土）清洗完毕后，按照规范用酒糟和醋包裹敷盖在尸体头部及身体上，仍然用死者的衣物全部覆盖，用煮开的醋淋浇，再用草席等物覆盖放置较长时间。等到尸体变得透软后，才去掉覆盖物，用水冲去酒糟和醋，然后进行检验。不得听信仵作（行刑人员/验尸助手）的说法，认为只泼洒酒醋就能掩盖伤痕，使伤痕不显现。
初春和冬季，适宜将醋和炒过的酒糟加热至滚烫。仲春和深秋时节，适宜微热。夏季和秋季，酒糟和醋只需微热，因为天气炎热，恐怕会损伤皮肉。秋末冬初，则使用热的，尸体左右手、肋骨之间相距三、四尺的地方，添加火源，因为气候转凉。冬季雪寒凛冽，尸体僵硬冰冻，即使酒糟和醋极热，加上衣物层层重叠包裹敷盖，也无法使尸体变得透软。这时应当挖掘坑穴，长宽比尸体大一些，深三尺，取木炭和木柴铺满坑内，用火烧得通红。大量泼洒醋，热气腾腾，然后连同包裹敷盖的物品一起垫在竹席上，将尸体放置在坑内。仍然用衣被覆盖，再用热醋淋遍。在坑两边相距二、三尺处，再次用火烘烤。大约达到透软程度后，撤去火源，移出尸体进行检验。冬末春初，不必挖掘坑穴，只用火烘烤两边，根据节气详细斟酌处理。
湖南的风俗，检验死人都在尸体旁边挖一个深坑，用火烧红，撤去火源，将尸体放入坑内。泼上酒糟和醋，又在四面用火逼近烘烤很长时间，然后将尸体扛出。或者凶手争夺伤痕证据，或者死者亲属争执不肯认尸，以至于有三四次将尸体扛入火坑重新检验的情况。人尸经过三四次火烤，肉色都焦红，伤痕更加不分明，胥吏因此从中舞弊。如果尸体停放未超过一两个月，肉质都已溃烂。等到家属提起诉讼，派遣聚检官时已经是几个月后，只剩下骸骨，肉上的伤痕完全无法得知。火坑法唯独湖南如此，地方官员应当知晓。
It is advisable to prepare ample amounts of fermented grain residue (Zao, 糟) and vinegar. For paper used to line the body, only Tenglian paper (藤连纸) and Baichao paper (白抄纸) are suitable; if bamboo paper is used, it will rot excessively when exposed to salt and vinegar, potentially eroding or damaging the corpse.
Place the corpse on a level, well-lit ground, and conduct an initial examination before rinsing with water. Next, wash off dirt and grease from the corpse using soapberry (Sapindus mukorossi), then rinse thoroughly with clean water. (During washing, place door panels or bamboo mats underneath to prevent contamination with dust.) After washing, wrap and compress the head and body of the corpse with warm fermented grain residue and vinegar according to proper procedures. Cover the entire body with the deceased's clothing, pour boiled vinegar over it, and cover again with straw mats for an extended period. Once the corpse becomes sufficiently pliable, remove the coverings, rinse off the residue and vinegar with water, and then proceed with the formal examination. Do not trust the claims of runners (Xingren, 行人, often referring to forensic assistants or executioners in this context) that merely splashing wine and vinegar will hide injuries and make marks invisible.
In early spring and winter, it is appropriate to heat the vinegar and roasted fermented grain residue until hot. In mid-spring and late autumn, slight warmth is sufficient. During summer and autumn, the residue and vinegar should be only slightly warm, as high temperatures might damage the skin and flesh. As autumn deepens into winter, use heat; place fires three to four chi apart on either side of the hands and ribs of the corpse, due to the cooling climate. In severe winter cold with snow, the corpse becomes stiff and frozen. Even with extremely hot residue and vinegar, layered clothing and compression may fail to soften the corpse adequately. In such cases, dig a pit larger in length and width than the corpse, about three chi deep. Line the bottom with charcoal and firewood, and burn them until red-hot. Pour abundant vinegar onto the hot coals to generate vigorous steam. Then, place the materials used for wrapping and compressing on bamboo mats, position the corpse inside the pit, cover it with clothes and blankets, and douse it thoroughly with hot vinegar. Place fires two to three chi away on both sides of the pit to continue heating. Once the desired softness is achieved, remove the fire sources, extract the corpse, and conduct the examination. In late winter and early spring, digging a pit is unnecessary; simply heat the sides with fire and adjust according to seasonal conditions.
In Hunan province, local custom dictates digging a deep pit beside the corpse for examination. The pit is heated red-hot by fire, the fire is removed, and the corpse is placed inside. Fermented grain residue and vinegar are poured over it, and fires are placed around all four sides for a prolonged period to force-heat the body before carrying it out. This practice sometimes occurs when perpetrators dispute injury evidence or relatives refuse to acknowledge the body, leading to multiple re-examinations involving placing the corpse back into the fire pit two or three times. Repeated exposure to fire causes the flesh to turn charred and red, making injuries indistinct, allowing clerks to commit fraud. If the body remains unexamined for one to two months, the flesh decomposes. By the time a lawsuit is filed and a collective examiner is dispatched months later, only skeletal remains remain, and any injuries on the flesh are irretrievably lost. The "fire pit" method is unique to Hunan, and local officials should be aware of this.