適者生存(てきしゃせいぞん)

A four-character compound: 適者(てきしゃ) (the fit, the adapted) + 生存(せいぞん) (survival). The Japanese translation of Herbert Spencer's phrase 'survival of the fittest,' later associated with Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory.

Usage

Used in biology, social commentary, and business contexts. In biology, it describes natural selection. Metaphorically, it describes cutthroat competition where only the strongest or most adaptable survive.

Common collocations

• 適者生存(てきしゃせいぞん)の法則(ほうそく) — the law of survival of the fittest
• 適者生存(てきしゃせいぞん)の原理(げんり) — the principle of survival of the fittest
• 適者生存(てきしゃせいぞん)の世界(せかい) — a world of survival of the fittest

Related words

• 自然淘汰(しぜんとうた) — natural selection; the biological mechanism behind the concept
• 弱肉強食(じゃくにくきょうしょく) — the strong prey on the weak; a more dramatic four-character idiom with similar meaning
• 競争原理(きょうそうげんり) — principle of competition; used in economics and business