效尤

xiàoyóu
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to follow a bad example
  2. 2 to imitate wrongdoing
  3. 3 to copy others' misconduct

Examples

Yánchéng shǒufàn, yǐ jǐng xiàoyóu.
Punish the ringleader severely as a warning to those who would copy him.
Rúguǒ bù chǔlǐ zhè zhǒng xíngwéi, hòurén jiù huì xiàoyóu.
If this kind of behavior isn't dealt with, others will follow the bad example.

Tips

usage
Almost always appears in the formal legal/administrative phrase 以儆效尤 (yǐ jǐng xiàoyóu, "as a warning to those who would copy the wrongdoing"). Standalone 效尤 is rare and literary.
mistakes
(yóu) here means "fault/wrongdoing," not its more common modern meaning "especially." (xiào) is "to imitate," not "effective." The whole phrase is therefore "imitate the wrongdoing," not "especially effective."

Stroke Order

xiào
yóu