زيد أسد
Zayd is a lion.
The particle ka- (“like”) or a word such as mithl is absent, yet both Zayd and lion are stated. The purpose is not to turn Zayd literally into an animal, but to intensify the attribution of courage to him.
In tashbīh balīgh (emphatic simile), the comparison particle and often the explicitly stated point of likeness are omitted. This strengthens the claim of resemblance. Because both comparison terms can still be present, omission of “like” alone does not make every such expression an explicit metaphor.
“Zayd ka-l-asad fī al-shajāʿah” states the shared quality openly; “Zayd asad” conveys it with concision and force.