paper tiger; weak despite fierce appearance
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
paper tiger; a person or group that appears fierce and powerful but is actually weak and hollow inside
A metaphorical idiom originating from political discourse, now widely used to describe any entity that appears threatening but lacks real substance or strength.
Dì帝
guó国
zhǔ主
yì义
shì是
zhǐ纸
lǎo老
hǔ虎
。
Imperialism is a paper tiger.
Bié别
kàn看
tā他
qì气
shì势
xiōng汹
xiōng汹
，
shí其
jì实
bù不
guò过
shì是
zhī只
zhǐ纸
lǎo老
hǔ虎
。
Don't be intimidated by his bluster; he's just a paper tiger.
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Zhè这
zhī支
qiú球
duì队
zhǐ只
shì是
zhǐ纸
lǎo老
hǔ虎
，
méi没
shén什
me么
shí实
lì力
。
This team is just a paper tiger with no real strength.
Tā他
men们
gōng公
sī司
biǎo表
miàn面
fēng风
guāng光
，
shí实
jì际
shàng上
shì是
zhī只
zhǐ纸
lǎo老
hǔ虎
。
Their company looks impressive on the surface, but it's actually a paper tiger.