CHENGYU
杀鸡儆猴(shā jī jǐng hóu)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, often negative
- Source:
- 清·李宝嘉《官场现形记》
MEANING
- Literal
- to kill the chicken to warn the monkey
- Figurative meaning
- to punish one person as a warning to others
ORIGIN STORY
A folk saying: to tame monkeys, beat or kill a chicken before them — the monkeys, watching, learn the lesson without being touched. It describes punishment aimed less at the offender than at the audience.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to make an example of someone”
EXAMPLES
老板开除他，是杀鸡儆猴，警告其他人。Lǎobǎn kāichú tā, shì shā jī jǐng hóu, jǐnggào qítā rén.HSK6
The boss fired him to kill the chicken before the monkeys and warn the rest.
严厉处罚作弊者，能起到杀鸡儆猴的作用。Yánlì chǔfá zuòbìzhě, néng qǐ dào shā jī jǐng hóu de zuòyòng.HSK6
Severely punishing cheaters works like killing a chicken to warn the monkeys.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 儆 is jǐng (to warn). The real target is the onlookers, not the punished one.
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01