China News Service, Beijing, April 30 (Reporter Liang Xiaohui) "All reactionaries are paper tigers", this is one of Mao Zedong's famous thesis most well-known to the Chinese people.
But what is not so well known is that Mao Zedong made this thesis for the first time in a conversation with a foreign reporter.
In addition, he invented the word "paper-tiger (paper tiger)" that didn't exist in English.
In August 1946, Yan'an, Mao Zedong received the American journalist Anna Louise Strong who came to interview.
At that time, China's Anti-Japanese War ended and a full-scale civil war started.
In the context of the disparity in the material and equipment of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and the Kuomintang has the help of the United States, whether the Chinese Communist Party can defeat the Kuomintang's offensive is doubtful at home and abroad.
With this same question, Strong came to China for the fifth time and met Mao Zedong face to face in Yan'an.
"How long can the Communist Party support?" Strong asked directly.
"As far as our own wishes are concerned, we are not willing to fight for a day. But if the situation forces us to fight, we can always fight to the end." Mao Zedong replied frankly.
"If the American people ask why the Communist Party is fighting, how should I answer it?" Strong said himself.
"Because Chiang Kai-shek wants to slaughter the Chinese people, the people must defend themselves if they want to survive. This is what the American people can understand." Mao Zedong understood.
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The leaders of the Chinese Communist Party and foreign journalists sit around a small stone table under the apple tree in front of the cave dwellings in Yan'an, and their enlightenment gleams as they answer questions.
Seeing the teapots and cups placed on the stone table, Mao Zedong made gestures smoothly: All reactionaries are paper tigers.
"It seems that the reactionaries look terrifying, but in fact they don't have any great power. From a long-term point of view, the truly powerful force does not belong to the reactionaries but the people.
He further pointed out that Chiang Kai-shek and his supporters, the American reactionaries, are also paper tigers.
We will win one day.
"The reason for this is nothing else, but that the reactionaries represent reaction, and we represent progress."
With professional sensitivity, Strong realized the power behind this assertion.
However, how to explain "Paper Tiger" to Strong has "stumped" the translation present.
At that time, there was no corresponding word "paper tiger" in English. In order to facilitate Strong's understanding, the translation used the word "strawman". Strong did not immediately understand this.
Mao Zedong felt very strange when he heard it, because he didn't hear the words "paper" and "tiger", which he knew, so he asked the translation.
After listening to the explanation, Mao Zedong immediately said: No, I mean a paper tiger, a "paper-tiger"; it looks terrible, but it will be over when it rains.
With such an explanation, Strong understood the meaning of the word accurately.
She quickly wrote down this statement and published it in the West, becoming the first person to spread the thesis that "all reactionaries are paper tigers" to the world.
Since then, the English world has a special meaning "paper-tiger".
In 1973, when US Secretary of State Kissinger visited China, he also mentioned in front of Mao Zedong that "the chairman invented an English vocabulary" and joked: "Paper tiger. By the way, that means us." Mao Zedong said: "Yes. , I invented an English vocabulary-paper-tiger."
And this word created by Mao Zedong and this unique experience also made people see the unique self-confidence of the Chinese Communists.
In a hundred years, from "paper tiger" becoming a Western vocabulary, to "black cat and white cat theory" appearing in the US "Time" magazine, to the "Belt and Road" "Community of Human Destiny" written into the United Nations resolutions, the Chinese Communists are confident Make your own voice and express your attitude.
These vocabularies with Chinese characteristics are becoming more and more known and recognized by the world, and at the same time, it also allows the world to see the confidence of the Chinese Communists in the path, theory, system, and culture.
Seeing the big from the small, as General Secretary Xi Jinping said: The party’s centuries of struggle and great achievements are the most solid foundation for us to enhance the "four self-confidence."
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