JLPT N2Four-character idioms
弱肉強食
- Meaning
- 強い者が弱い者を犠牲にして繁栄すること
- Explanation
- "弱肉強食" expresses, from the sense of the strong devouring the flesh of the weak, the harsh principle of competition in which the strong prosper at the sacrifice of the weak. It is used when speaking of the cruel power relations of the natural world or society. c1's "a scene of fighting over things" alone lacks the relation in which the strong unilaterally dominate the weak.
Original Japanese explanation
「弱肉強食」は、弱い者の肉を強い者が食らう意から、強い者が弱い者を犠牲にして栄える厳しい競争原理を表します。自然界や社会の冷酷な力関係を語るときに使います。c1の「奪い合う様子」だけでは強者が弱者を一方的に支配する関係が抜けています。
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