The institution evolved over time. By the Ming-Qing era, the
三法司 referred to:
刑部 (Xíngbù, Ministry of Punishments — first-instance trials),
大理寺 (Dàlǐsì, Court of Judicial Review — case review and approval), and
都察院 (Dūcháyuàn, Censorate — supervision and oversight). For death-penalty cases the three would conduct a
三法司会审 (joint trial), one of imperial China's earliest forms of institutional checks and balances.
