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弱肉强食 (ruò ròu qiáng shí) — the law of the jungle; survival of the fittest (in a ruthless competitive environment)

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning 'the strong devour the weak' — used metaphorically for ruthless competition in business, politics, or nature, carrying a critical/dark tone rather than a neutral one.

idiom
the law of the junglesurvival of the fittest (in a ruthless competitive environment)

Examples

  • 弱肉强食，。
    Zài ruò ròu qiáng shí de shāng chǎng shàng, zhǐ yǒu bú duàn chuàng xīn cái néng shēng cún.
    In the law-of-the-jungle business world, only continuous innovation allows survival.
  • 弱肉强食，。
    Zì rán jiè zhōng ruò ròu qiáng shí de fǎ zé, ràng dòng wù men wèi le shēng cún ér jìng zhēng.
    The law-of-the-jungle rule in nature makes animals compete for survival.
  • 弱肉强食，。
    Guó jì guān xì yǒu shí yě zūn xún ruò ròu qiáng shí de luó ji, qiáng guó qī fu ruò guó.
    International relations sometimes follow the logic of the law of the jungle, with strong countries bullying weak ones.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

弱肉the weak are meat
弱ruòweak肉ròumeat
主谓Subject + predicate
强食the strong eat
强qiángstrong食shíeat
主谓Subject + predicate

The image contrasts 弱肉 and 强食: the weak become meat, and the strong eat, giving the law of the jungle.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 弓弓gōngbow
  • 彡彡shānhair, meaning "decoration" in this case

弱 pairs 弓 (bow) with 彡 (hair), showing a decorative bow that is functionally inferior, or a shaking, worn-out bow.

Open 弱 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original shape of 肉 showed ribs of an animal’s torso, or simply a slice of meat.

Open 肉 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 強; 强 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 強 pairs an insect component with a sound component; this explains 強, not the simplified 强.

Open 强 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 亼亼jímouth
  • 皀皀jía bowl of rice on a stand

The form behind 食 shows 亼, a mouth, together with 皀, a bowl of rice on a stand. In modern 食, the bowl part has changed shape.

Open 食 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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