Editor's note: This story contains upsetting details about physical violence.

A Chinese university student who was unable to best a fellow student in a classroom debate decided instead to resort to his fists for revenge.

The male postgraduate student from the Shanghai University of Sport waylaid his female classmate on campus and delivered a brutal beating, as captured by a CCTV camera.

He is seen first giving her a swift blow to the head, then proceeding to kick her while she lay on the ground. They argue for a short while as she gets up, before he kicks her back down again.

The woman was instructed by a tutor not to call the police because it was a “personal conflict,” reported the Global Times. The incident which took place on Jan. 2, has now been discussed some 4.4 million times on Chinese social media.

The Chinese university confirmed the incident, saying that the female student was taken to hospital and did not sustain any injuries.

The male student was also asked to apologise and would be “reprimanded”, the University said on its Weibo account.

However, many called for harsher punishment for him.

"Call the police”, said one user on Weibo.

“Instead of going to university, I think you should first learn how to be a better person,” said another.

"Expel him now,” said one comment which received some 50,000 likes.

Not everyone thought punishment was a good idea, however.

“Watching this as a woman, I felt so angry for her. (But) I’m afraid that if he’s expelled he’ll go get revenge on the girl,” someone pointed out.

If you or someone you know is experiencing violence, here is a directory of resources from around the world that you can contact.