punish one to warn a hundred
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to punish one person as a warning to others
formalUsed in contexts of law enforcement, management, or discipline to prevent others from committing the same mistake. Often implies a demonstrative or exemplary punishment.
Gōng公
sī司
jué决
dìng定
yán严
chéng惩
nà那
ge个
wéi违
guī规
de的
yuán员
gōng工
，
yǐ以
qǐ起
dào到
chéng惩
yī一
jǐng儆
bǎi百
de的
zuò作
yòng用
。
The company decided to severely punish the employee who violated the rules to serve as a warning to others.
Gǔ古
dài代
jiāng将
jūn军
yǒu有
shí时
huì会
chéng惩
yī一
jǐng儆
bǎi百
，
yǐ以
yán严
sù肃
jūn军
jì纪
。
Ancient generals sometimes punished one soldier as a warning to the whole army to enforce strict military discipline.
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Zhè这
cì次
gōng公
kāi开
chǔ处
fá罚
shì是
wèi为
le了
chéng惩
yī一
jǐng儆
bǎi百
，
fáng防
zhǐ止
lèi类
sì似
shì事
jiàn件
zài再
cì次
fā发
shēng生
。
This public punishment is intended to serve as a deterrent to prevent similar incidents from happening again.