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殺雞嚇猴

简杀鸡吓猴 · 繁殺雞嚇猴

Mandarin · pinyin shā jī xià hóu

see 殺雞儆猴 shā jī jǐng hóu

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Characters in this entry

殺: Look up this written character
雞: jī · chickens; domestic fowl
嚇: Look up this written character
猴: hóu · monkey, ape; monkey-like
杀: shā · kill, slaughter, murder; hurt
鸡: jī · chicken
吓: xià · scare, frighten; intimidate

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–2 · sha1 ji1 xia4 hou2

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Connected dictionary

5character links1source reference

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

殺雞嚇猴 · find source passages ↗ · 杀鸡吓猴 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

saat3 gai1 haak3 hau4

Cantonese word readings for 殺雞嚇猴. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to punish an individual as an example to others

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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