zhǐ
lǎo

idiom
common
proverb

Meaning of 纸老虎

纸老虎 means paper tiger; a person or group that appears fierce and powerful but is actually weak and hollow inside. Pronounced zhǐ lǎo hǔ.

  • paper tiger; a person or group that appears fierce and powerful but is actually weak and hollow inside

Definitions & Examples

guó
zhǔ
shì
zhǐ
lǎo
 

Imperialism is a paper tiger.

Bié
kàn
shì
xiōng
xiōng
 
shí
guò
shì
zhī
zhǐ
lǎo
 

Don't be intimidated by his bluster; he's just a paper tiger.

Zhè
zhī
qiú
duì
zhǐ
shì
zhǐ
lǎo
 
méi
shén
me
shí
 

This team is just a paper tiger with no real strength.

men
gōng
biǎo
miàn
fēng
guāng
 
shí
shàng
shì
zhī
zhǐ
lǎo
 

Their company looks impressive on the surface, but it's actually a paper tiger.