paper tiger
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paper tiger
Where it comes from
A calque from Chinese 紙老虎／纸老虎 (zhǐlǎohǔ), a phrase popularized by Mao Zedong, but of pre-modern origin. An English translation first appeared in an book in 1828 by British missionary and lexicographer Robert Morrison.
noun paper tigers
-
Something or someone that appears powerful, strong or threatening but is in reality weak, ineffective, or unable to withstand challenge.
The League of Nations was by this time scarcely even a paper tiger, devoid of credibility since its divisions and pusillanimity had been so clearly laid bare following Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia in the autumn of 1935.
Similar: sheep in wolf's clothing · Opposite: wolf in sheep's clothing
Translations
Every language
noun paper tiger
| Español | tigre de papel |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 종이호랑이 jong'ihorang'i |
| 日本語 | 張り子の虎 hariko no tora |
| 中文 | 紙老虎 /纸老虎 zhǐlǎohǔ |
| Português | tigre de papel |
| Français | tigre de papier, colosse aux pieds d'argile |
| Deutsch | Papiertiger |
| Italiano | tigre di carta, scatola vuota, guappo di cartone, parla-parla, quaquaraquà |
| Ελληνικά | χάρτινη τίγρη chártini tígri |
| Русский | бума́жный тигр bumážnyj tigr |
| עברית | רוח וצלצולים |
Talk about this word "paper tiger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/paper%20tiger. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. paper tiger. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/paper%20tiger "paper tiger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/paper%20tiger.Cite this
@misc{paper_tiger_2026,
title = {paper tiger},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/paper%20tiger},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
