زَيْدٌ كَالْأَسَدِ فِي الشَّجَاعَةِ
Zayd is like a lion in courage.
The constructed revision is “Zayd is a lion.” The first wording expressly presents the particle and common quality; both disappear from the revision, making likeness more forceful. Because Zayd and the lion are both still mentioned, it is emphatic simile, not automatically an explicit metaphor.
For teaching the four elements, the initial form is clearer. For forceful praise of courage, the condensed form may be stronger. The trade-off is greater assertion at the cost of explicit specification.