Once upon a time, a hungry tiger was prowling in a forest looking for food, that is, other animals. He could eat them because he was their king. The tiger had not eaten anything for the part two days, because animals like deer, boars, wolves, rabbits, and certainly foxes all seemed to have become smarter than ever before. Each time he came out hunting, they would scatter in all directions and disappear before he could reach them. How ironic it was to be a king! Tiger was the supreme leader of the jungle, but his subjects feared him so much that they all shunned his presence, and their fear of him almost deprived him of his food source. "I would give up my throne for a bunny," he would sometimes say to himself sullenness. However, if an animal should challenge his authority, that would be the end of it. he never really wanted to give up his throne.
At the same time, a conceited fox, taking advantage of the hubbub and commotion of the fleeing animals, caught a big bunny and gobbled it up. Smart as she was, the fox hadn't anticipated that her bulging belly would weigh her down so much that she could not run as fast as she usually did. She became the hungry tiger's easy prey. This fox, however, was no ordinary beast. She thought she was the smartest animal in the entire animal kingdom, and she would prove it.
"Hold it," the fox blurted out at the top of her voice, as the tiger snarled, arched his hips and opened his watering mouth. "You think you are still the King of the Jungle?" the fox asked, pressing her forefinger on the wet nose of the tiger. If the tiger had concentrated his sense of feeling on that part of his body at the moment, he could have felt the fox's slender finger quivering. The strange question, however, simply bewildered him. Besides, he had never known a fox to talk to him in such a blod and arrogant manner. He asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean you are not the King of the Jungle anymore!" responded the fox categorically.
The tiger dropped his big jaw at the fox's shocking remark. Completely baffled, he asked, his tone still carrying some contempt, "How do you know?"
"Haven't you heard that the Jade Emperor of Heaven has made me the new King of the Jungle?" the fox cocked up her head and said, "His Majesty ruled that all animals, including your, should submit to me. He said that if you disobey, he will punish you without mercy!"
The tiger sized up the fox with mixed feelings of disbelief and dread. The fox's entire body was no bigger than the tiger's foreleg. A mere flap of his paw would smash her skull and break her backbone. Emboldened by these thoughts, the tiger demanded that the fox show him proof.
The fox was relieved to find that the tiger might be taken in. she had to act before the tiger saw through her trick. The tiger's demand prompted her to come up with an idea quickly: She was going to challenge him to a test. she said to the tiger with great confidence, "The Heavenly Emperor's decree is on its way, but I can show you who the king really is if you can't wait".
"Sure, show me," the tiger roared with impatience, because he was too hungry to wait. He was ready to pounce on the little fox as soon as she failed to produce the evidence. The fox invited the tiger to inspect the jungle with her, and see whether the animals ran for their lives at the sight of her. "Follow me and watch," the fox commanded.
While the tiger and the fox were in the heat of this test of intellect, the other animals had resumed their daily routine, thinking that the tiger had eaten the fox and would call it a day. They had never expected to see the tiger come their way again, chasing the fox in an unhurried manner. No matter what, a tiger was a tiger. The animals took to their heels at the very sight of him.
The tiger's astonishment was beyond description. He could not figure out why in the world all the animals, big or small, ran for their lives at the mere sight of the fox. The thought of being dethroned and the prospect of submitting to the fox and, what was worse, becoming her food, struck the deepest fear into him. He shuddered. When the strutting fox ahead of him paused and turned, he leapt back a few steps, startled.
"What do you think?" asked the fox proudly.
The tiger was speechless, shivering all over. He wanted to run from this small but fierce animal as soon as his shaky legs could carry them.
"Let me tell you what more the Heavenly Emperor told me before I returned to rule this jungle: he wanted me to tear you into pieces before I gobble you up!"
At this, the already terrified tiger ran for dear life, leafing the fox chukling at the success of ther deception. but knowing that lies can't last forever, the fox wasted no time and scampered away to safety.
The idiom is often used to analogize with those who take advantage of somebody else's power to bully people.
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