punishing one to warn many
A yojijukugo meaning to make an example of someone by punishing them, so that others will take warning. Used in formal or literary contexts.
A strict punishment was handed down based on the idea of punishing one to warn a hundred.
見せしめ is a more common, everyday word for making an example of someone, while 一罰百戒 is a formal yojijukugo.
A yojijukugo composed of 一 (one), 罰 (punishment), 百 (hundred), and 戒 (warning), literally 'one punishment, hundred warnings'. The exact origin is uncertain, but it follows a common Chinese-derived four-character pattern.