拙稿旨在結合流刑的律文和案例，探討流刑連作的實況，藉此一窺律令制的唐代在法律規定和實際執行上的關係。 就唐律的規定，唐代流刑包含四項要素：(1) 流刑有「道里之差」，即分為流二千里、二千五百里、三千里等三等，謂之「三流」；(2) 流人至配所皆須服勞役一年 (加役流則是三年)，除此並無其他附加刑罰；(3) 流人若未上道或已上道，遇到皇帝恩赦可以放免，但一旦抵達配所，則必須在配所設籍，終身不得返鄉；(4) 妻妾必須跟隨。以上是法律的規定，然而，若結合唐代的流刑案例，發現其實際的狀況與律令的規定頗有牴觸。貞觀十一年制定的三等流刑，在貞觀十四年即改採「不以里數，量配邊惡之外州」的原則，唐律的三等流刑無疑形同其文。開元七年以降，流放配所進一步集中在隴右道的西州伊州、嶺南道、劍南道的巂州姚州。有唐一代，嶺南道是流配罪囚最重要的地方，除了嶺南道以外，安史亂前的劍南道 (巂州、姚州) 和隴右道 (西州、伊州)、安史之亂時的黔中道、中晚唐的天德軍，都是重要的配所。唐代的流所絕大部分都距離長安遠超三千里以外，甚至有萬里之遙的，而天德軍卻是距長安不足二千里，在在都說明所謂三等流刑，早就是一紙空文。流人原先並無鞭杖等附加刑，但玄宗朝以降，配流以前經常先決杖四十到一百不等，可謂律外運刑。流人配送前先決杖的做法，一直沿襲至晚唐而未改。此外，流人抵達配所，原無放還的條文，但皇帝大赦經常格外開恩，准予還鄉。另外，流人有時或因大赦，或經過一定年限，得以「量移」近處。不過最重要的變革，是憲宗元和八年訂下流人至配所屆滿六年放還的新規定。 若結合唐代流放的實例來檢討，唐律的規定似乎如同虛文。顯然，吾人在讚嘆唐代律令格式的成熟，從政治機構到社會活動一切都明文規範，井然有序的同時，亦需注意紙上的條文在現實的運作狀況。

Banishment penalty in Tang Dynasty carried out in the forms of force resettlement, provision of hard labours, and migration with their relatives to designated areas. Through out the whole dynasty, Ling Nan Dao was the most important place for banishment, apart from that, Jian Nan Dao (Jun Zhou巂州, Yao Zhou姚州) & Long You Dao (Xi Zhou西州, Yi Zhou伊州) prior to An & Shi Crisis, Qian Zhong Dao during the Crisis, and Tian De Jun in the Mid & Late Tang period were all crucial areas for banishment. The distance of pena1ty was measured from the Capital - Chang An, and was c1assifiedinto 3 categories, from 2,000 to 3,000 mi1es. But in fact, the criminals were exiled to over a 10,000-mi1e, which was against the Tang Code. Moreover, the exile was free from whipping before the period under Emperor Xuan Zhong. However, after that, criminals were flogged 40 to 100 times before banishment. According to the law, the exile could not be released from banishment, except a general pardon from the Emperor, who could send the exile back to the original province or re-settle to a less distant place after certain period. And the most drastic change to the law was made in the Yuen He 8th year of Emperor Xian Zhong that an exi1e was allowed to return to the original province after 6 years’ banishment.