杀鸡吓猴 Kill the chicken to scare the monkey
Explanation
比喻用惩罚一个人的办法来警告其他人。
It means punishing one person to warn others.
Origin Story
很久以前，在一个偏僻的小山村里，住着一群猴子和一位耍猴人。这群猴子十分顽皮，经常不听耍猴人的话，耍猴人为此很是头疼。有一天，耍猴人买来一只肥美的公鸡，在众猴面前，他先是用各种方法逗弄这只公鸡，惹得它又叫又跳。然后，耍猴人突然拿出锋利的刀子，迅速地将公鸡的头砍了下来。鲜血溅在草地上，猴子们吓得惊慌失措，四处逃窜。耍猴人看着吓得瑟瑟发抖的猴子们，满意地点了点头。从此以后，猴子们再也不敢违抗耍猴人的命令了，它们变得非常乖巧听话，耍猴人的生意也越来越好。
Long ago, in a remote mountain village, there lived a group of monkeys and a monkey trainer. These monkeys were very mischievous and often disobeyed the trainer, causing him great headaches. One day, the trainer bought a plump rooster. In front of all the monkeys, he teased the rooster with various methods, making it squawk and jump. Then, the trainer suddenly took out a sharp knife and quickly decapitated the rooster. Blood splattered on the grass, and the monkeys were scared and fled in all directions. The trainer looked at the monkeys trembling with fear and nodded in satisfaction. From that day on, the monkeys dared not disobey the trainer's commands anymore; they became very well-behaved, and the trainer's business prospered.
Usage
作谓语、宾语、定语；比喻杀一人以儆百。
As predicate, object, attributive; to kill one person to warn a hundred.
Examples
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公司为了震慑其他员工，对违规的员工进行了严厉的处罚，可谓杀鸡儆猴。
gōngsī wèile zhèn shè qítā yuángōng, duì wéiguī de yuángōng jìnxíngle yánlì de chǔfá, kěwèi shā jī jǐng hóu
The company severely punished employees who violated regulations to deter other employees, which can be described as making an example of someone.
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领导为了整治公司的歪风邪气，决定杀鸡儆猴，处理了几名违反纪律的员工。
lǐngdǎo wèile zhěngzhì gōngsī de wāifēng xié qì, juédìng shā jī jǐng hóu, chǔlǐ le jǐ míng wéifǎn jìlǜ de yuángōng
In order to rectify the company's bad habits and practices, the leadership decided to make an example of a few employees who violated the rules and regulations.