A tiger caught a fox and was about to eat it. The fox said: "You dare not eat me! The Emperor of Heaven has appointed me king of all beasts. If you eat me, you defy his command. If you don't believe me, let me walk ahead — you follow behind, and see if any animal dares to stand in my way."
The tiger agreed. The fox walked forward; the tiger followed. Every beast they encountered fled in terror. The tiger, not realizing the animals were fleeing from him, concluded that the fox was indeed their king and let him go.
虎求百兽而食之，得狐。狐曰：「子无敢食我也！天帝使我长百兽。今子食我，是逆天帝命也。子以我为不信，吾为子先行，子随我后，观百兽之见我而敢不走乎？」
虎以为然，故遂与之行。兽见之皆走。虎不知兽畏己而走也，以为畏狐也。
虎求百兽而食之，得狐。狐曰：「子无敢食我也！天帝使我长百兽。今子食我，是逆天帝命也。子以我为不信，吾为子先行，子随我后，观百兽之见我而敢不走乎？」
虎以为然，故遂与之行。兽见之皆走。虎不知兽畏己而走也，以为畏狐也。
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
Borrowed power is not real power. The one who relies on another's authority will be exposed the moment the real power turns away.
This parable from the Zhàn Guó Cè was originally told by Jiang Yi to King Xuan of Chu, warning him that his northern armies feared Qin, not his general Zhao Xixu. The fox is any official or leader who commands respect only because of the powerful figure behind them.
The idiom "狐假虎威" (the fox borrows the tiger's authority) describes people who bully or intimidate others by invoking the name of a more powerful patron. The story's brilliance is in the tiger's self-deception: he never once considers that he is the source of the fear.