📖 Meaning
To punish one person as a warning to others. It is a strategy where a minor offender is made an example of to deter the rest from committing similar acts.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom is associated with practices in the Qing dynasty, particularly attributed to the magistrate or military leaders who would execute a low-ranking wrongdoer in public to intimidate the rank and file. One popular origin story links it to the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor, where officials would order the beheading of a common soldier to instill fear and discipline in the entire regiment. The imagery draws from the observation that monkeys, being intelligent and cautious animals, will become docile after witnessing a chicken slaughtered before them.
💡 Example Usage
老师当众批评了一个迟到的学生，不过是杀鸡儆猴，让其他人都知道迟到会有后果。
The teacher publicly reprimanded one student for being late — it was really just to make an example of him so the others would know there are consequences for tardiness.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 杀鸡儆猴
- Pinyin: shā jī jǐng hóu
- Literal Translation: kill, chicken, warn, monkey
- Category: Leadership
- Characters: 4