殺雞嚇猴 shā jī xià hóu

DEFINITIONS

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

CHARACTERS

殺 shā kill, slaughter, murder; hurt; to pare off, reduce, clip
雞 jī chickens; domestic fowl
嚇 xià scare, frighten; intimidate
猴 hóu
HSK 5
monkey, ape; monkey-like