This is the law of — more precisely, the rule of — the jungle. Sure, the U.S. is by far and away the biggest cat in that jungle.

My comments:

The jungle refers to the big forest with many large plants growing close and thick together amongst which animals of all colors and ilk thrive, or, for some, merely trying to survive.

Those that thrive are the stronger species or stronger members of a species – while the weakest strive to survive another day. Here the Darwinian law of “survival of the fittest” applies. The strong prey on the weak – beat them and eat them, no questions asked.

In human politics, the rule of the jungle is equivalent to the saying that says “might is right”. In other words, stronger nations can do whatever it wants to smaller and weaker nations, moral or immoral.

“Sure, the U.S. is by far and way the biggest cat in the jungle” – America, as the single superpower, does just that.

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On the fence

Wild guess

In the high teens

Touch up

Unforced error

Catch a break

City slicker

Political correctness

Gee up

Big mind

Blanket statement

Making knee-jerk changes is not in our DNA

Pick one's brains

A good eye

Thank one's stars for

Real money

Nodding acquaintance

Flip out over nothing

Bury the hatchet& have an ax to grind

Vocal proponent

Growing pains

Fleeting acquaintance

All-weather friend

Lead the pack

Fish or cut bait

Gilt-edged

To do more with less

Right down the middle

Take my word for it

40-sometimes

Last but not the least

Call it a dog

Pull my leg

Ego bath

Tough call

Rain check

Upper reaches

Off the shoulders

Off and running

Gold dust

Frugality fatigue

Red flag

Foregone conclusion

Go to Zhang Xin's column

本文僅代表作者本人觀點(diǎn)，與本網(wǎng)立場(chǎng)無關(guān)。歡迎大家討論學(xué)術(shù)問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發(fā)布一切違反國(guó)家現(xiàn)行法律法規(guī)的內(nèi)容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin（張欣） has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.