Paper tiger is is found translated to English as early as 1836,

Paper tiger is a literal English translation of the Chinese phrase zhǐ lǎohǔ (simplified Chinese: 纸老虎; traditional Chinese: 紙老虎), meaning something that seems as threatening as a tiger, but is really harmless.

The phrase is an ancient one in Chinese culture, but sources differ as to when it entered the English vocabulary. It is found translated to English as early as 1836, in a work by John Francis Davis.[1]

In a 1956 interview with the American journalist Anna Louise Strong, Mao Zedong used the phrase to describe US Imperialism:
“ 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 that is nothing but a paper tiger.[2] ”

In Mao Zedong's view, "all reactionaries are paper tigers" - superficially powerful but prone to overextension leading to sudden collapse. When Mao criticized Soviet "appeasement" of the United States during the Sino-Soviet split, Premier Nikita Khrushchev reportedly pointed out, "the paper tiger has nuclear teeth."

所有跟帖： 

• 李鸿章认为国家要强先得要富，他说“练兵和海军都是纸老虎“ -聂耳- ♂ (1603 bytes) () 08/05/2010 postreply 14:19:38

• 李鸿章曾派人去南极捉得企鹅若干只，在伦敦卖得好价钱.. -黑旋风李逵- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/05/2010 postreply 14:32:16

• 这也许是中文“纸老虎“一词最早用于描写外强中干的出处 -聂耳- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/05/2010 postreply 14:40:56