⚠️This fact has been debunked
This is a widely circulated urban legend. Hong Kong operates under common law, and murder is illegal regardless of circumstances or method. While Hong Kong does recognize 'provocation' as a partial defense that can reduce murder to manslaughter (including cases involving sexual infidelity), there is NO law that permits killing an adulterous spouse. The claim appears only on entertainment/trivia websites with zero citations to actual Hong Kong statutes.
In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, but may only do so with her bare hands. (The husband's lover, on the other hand, may be killed in any manner desired.)
The Hong Kong Adultery Murder Myth: Debunked
You've probably seen this "fact" circulating online: in Hong Kong, a betrayed wife can legally kill her adulterous husband—but only with her bare hands. Some versions add that the husband's lover can be killed "in any manner desired." It's the kind of bizarre legal quirk that gets shared millions of times on social media.
There's just one problem: it's completely false.
The Myth Goes Viral
This claim has been repeated across countless "weird laws" lists, trivia websites, and social media posts. A quick search reveals hundreds of sites claiming this law exists, often with breathless headlines about Hong Kong's "shocking" legal code.
But here's what none of these sources provide: an actual legal statute. No ordinance number. No case law. No citation whatsoever.
That's because it doesn't exist.
What Hong Kong Law Actually Says
Hong Kong operates under a common law system inherited from British colonial rule. Murder is governed by the Offences against the Person Ordinance and the Homicide Ordinance, which define murder identically to English and Welsh law.
Murder is murder in Hong Kong, regardless of who you kill, why you kill them, or what method you use. The penalty is mandatory life imprisonment.
As for adultery? The only legal consequence is that it provides grounds for divorce. You can cite your spouse's infidelity to prove the marriage has "broken down irretrievably." That's it. No legalized revenge killing.
Where Did This Come From?
Urban legends about bizarre laws often contain a kernel of distorted truth. In this case, that kernel might be Hong Kong's recognition of provocation as a partial defense.
Under Section 4 of the Homicide Ordinance, someone charged with murder can argue they were provoked—losing self-control due to circumstances that would provoke a reasonable person. If successful, this defense doesn't make the killing legal; it reduces the charge from murder to manslaughter.
Sexual infidelity is commonly raised in provocation cases. Hong Kong courts have seen numerous instances where a defendant claimed they killed their partner or a rival after discovering an affair. Sometimes this defense succeeds in reducing the severity of the charge.
But reduction to manslaughter still means prison time. It's not a get-out-of-jail-free card, and it certainly doesn't make killing legal.
Why Do We Believe These Things?
Strange laws make great clickbait. They're surprising, shareable, and often play into stereotypes about foreign cultures being "exotic" or "backwards."
The problem is that most "weird law" lists are copied and pasted across the internet without fact-checking. One site invents something, another repeats it, and soon it's accepted as truth simply because it appears everywhere.
The Hong Kong murder myth is a perfect example. Despite zero credible sources, it's been repeated so often that people assume it must be true. It's not.
The Bottom Line
No, Hong Kong does not allow wives to kill cheating husbands with their bare hands. No, mistresses cannot be killed "in any manner desired." Murder is illegal in Hong Kong, full stop.
If you see this claim somewhere, you can now confidently call it what it is: a myth. And maybe think twice before believing that next "crazy law" you see online.