Paper tiger
From Free net encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Paper tiger (disambiguation).
Paper tiger is a literal English translation of the Chinese phrase zhǐ lǎohǔ (Template:Zh-ts), meaning something which seems as threatening as a tiger, but is really harmless. The common usage is synonymous with the adjective toothless, meaning ineffective.
The phrase is an ancient one in Chinese, but sources differ as to when it entered the English vocabulary. Although some sources may claim it dates back as far as 1850 [1], it seems the Chinese phrase was first translated when it was applied to describe the United States. In 1956, Mao Zedong, said of the United States:
- "In appearance it is very powerful but in reality it is nothing to be afraid of, it is a paper tiger. Outwardly a tiger, it is made of paper, unable to withstand the wind and the rain. I believe the United States is nothing but a paper tiger." [2]
In Mao's view, the term that could be applied to all allegedly "imperialist" nations, particularly the United States and the Soviet Union (following the Sino-Soviet split): Mao argued that they appeared to be superficially powerful but would have a tendency to overextend themselves in the international arena, at which point pressure could be brought upon them by other states to cause their sudden collapse.
In recent years, it has become a frequent term used to describe China or its economy, especially in the Western press.
Paper champion in athletics
A variation of the phrase is paper champion, referring to a sports team or player who is heavily favored to win a title but succumbs to a superior opponent.
In American football the term was famously applied to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21, 2001, by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Lee Flowers, after his team had upset a Buccaneers team that most pundits were predicting would win the Super Bowl. His proclamation, "They ain't nothing but paper champions," turned out to be prophetic as they failed to advance to the title game (though they would reach the Super Bowl and win the following season).
It also has a meaning in the sport of boxing. A paper champion is seen to be a world champion who does not beat the former world champion to achieve the title. It happens when a world champion retires.
In Tennis, Tim Henman has been rather endearingly referred to as Tiger Tim to insinuate that, rather like a paper tiger, his largely promising growls (in both the sense of intimidation and the sense of effort) have evidenced themselves to be a little more efficacious than his relatively underachieving bites, especially at the more-prestigious Grand Slam events.