Reader's question: One is leap-frogging their competitors by deploying an enterprise-class platform that is secure and reliable, and two is running a flexible infrastructure that does not have to stretch to keep pace with growth.

Could you explain “leap-frog”?

My comments:

To leap-frog is to leap like a frog…. Got the picture? Well, obviously the frog’s leap is a very big stride, metaphorically bigger than the normal step we humans take. Therefore, to leapfrog someone is to overtake them with one big stride or a few big steps. This usually implies that one has achieved greater progress than previously expected, or reached a goal ahead of schedule.

In the example above, you may infer that “their competitors” are not currently doing these two things (One, deploying an enterprise-class platform that is secure and reliable; two, running a flexible infrastructure that does not have to stretch to keep pace with growth). Hence by delivering both, they can move ahead of their competitors.

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Zhang Xin 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.