the.com/paper tiger
Roars like a threat, folds like, well, paper.
means Something that looks powerful or dangerous but has no real strength to back up the threat.
from A direct translation of the Chinese phrase zhǐ lǎohǔ, used in Chinese political rhetoric to describe enemies — especially colonial or imperial powers — as fearsome in appearance only. The phrase entered English widely in the mid-20th century when Mao Zedong used it, including famously to describe the United States and nuclear weapons, calling threats that looked formidable but could be exposed as hollow by anyone willing to stand up to them.
- origin
- Mao used it to describe the US and nukes
- literal meaning
- something that looks powerful but isn't
- best test
- push back and watch it collapse
- common habitat
- sanctions, threats, and empty regulations