Kill the chicken to shock the monkey
To punish one person as a warning to others
Neutral
法官说这种处罚将起到杀鸡骇猴的作用 | Fǎguān shuō zhè zhǒng chǔfá jiāng qǐdào shā jīhàihóu de zuòyòng
The judge says that this kind of punishment will serve as a warning to others
[Source]
To make an example out of someone
杀鸡警猴 (shā jī jǐng hóu)
杀鸡儆猴 (shā jī jǐng hóu)
None
《官场现形记》(Guān Chǎng Xiàn Xíng Jì), a work by Qíng Dynasty (清, 1644 - 1911) author 李宝嘉 (Lǐ Bǎo Jiā). The work is known in English as "Officialdom Unmasked" or "Observations on the Current State of Officialdom")
A long time ago, a street performer purchased a monkey with the intention of incorporating it into his performances. However, the monkey was very poorly behaved and spent most of its time ignoring its owner. This incensed the performer greatly, and he spent ages trying to figure out how to ensure the monkey's obedience.
One day, the performer went out and purchased a chicken. When he returned, he put the chicken in front of the disobedient monkey and started loudly playing the drums and beating a gong. When the chicken was stunned by the noise, the artist slit its throat. The monkey was watching the entire scene, and it was immediately horrified. From then on, whenever the performer played the drums or the gong, or gave the monkey a command, it obeyed immediately.