📖 Meaning
Originally referring to the natural world where the weak are devoured by the strong. It is used metaphorically to describe how the powerful prey upon and swallow up the weak, especially in competitive or lawless situations.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Tang dynasty scholar Han Yu, who wrote in his preface 'Sending Off the Monk Wenchang' that 'the flesh of the weak becomes the food of the strong.' The Ming dynasty poet Liu Ji later used the full four-character form in his poem 'Song of the Qin Woman,' lamenting that in chaotic times the strong devour the weak while authorities fail to punish such predation. Over time the expression became a common metaphor for the law of the jungle in human society.
💡 Example Usage
在那个弱肉强食的年代，小国常常被大国吞并。
In that era where the weak were preyed upon by the strong, small nations were frequently swallowed up by larger ones.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 弱肉强食
- Pinyin: ruò ròu qiáng shí
- Literal Translation: weak, flesh, strong, eat
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4