punish one as a warning to others; make an example of
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to punish someone as a warning to others; to make an example of a wrongdoer to deter potential imitators
formalFormal idiom typically used in legal, administrative, or serious disciplinary contexts. Emphasizes deterrence through public punishment.
Zhèng政
fǔ府
jué决
dìng定
gōng公
kāi开
yán严
chéng惩
zhè这
qǐ起
tān贪
fǔ腐
àn案
jiàn件
，
yǐ以
jǐng儆
xiào效
yóu尤
。
The government decided to publicly and severely punish this corruption case to serve as a warning to others.
Xué学
xiào校
duì对
zuò作
bì弊
xué学
shēng生
yǔ予
yǐ以
zhòng重
fá罚
，
mù目
dì的
zài是
yú以
yǐ儆
jǐng效
xiào尤
，
yóu防
fáng止
zhǐ类
lèi似
sì事
shì件
jiàn再
zài次
cì发
fā生
。
The school imposed heavy penalties on students who cheated, aiming to make an example of them and prevent similar incidents from happening again.
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Fǎ法
guān官
biǎo表
shì示
，
zhòng重
pàn判
cǐ此
àn案
shì是
wèi为
le了
yǐ以
jǐng儆
xiào效
yóu尤
，
wéi维
hù护
shè社
huì会
gōng公
píng平
zhèng正
yì义
。
The judge stated that the heavy sentence in this case was intended to punish one as a warning to a hundred and uphold social fairness and justice.