杀鸡儆猴 shā jī jǐng hóu

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. killing the chicken to warn the monkey (idiom)
  2. fig. to punish an individual as an example to others
  3. pour encourager les autres

CHARACTERS

杀 shā kill, slaughter, murder; hurt
鸡 jī chicken
儆 jǐng warn; warning
猴 hóu monkey, ape; monkey-like