百足之虫死而不僵

百足之蟲死而不僵
bǎizúzhīchóngsǐérbùjiāng
  1. a centipede dies but never falls down
  2. old institutions die hard

CEDICT

Entry Composition

1 百足之虫 bǎizúzhīchóng
  1. (figuratively) the rich and powerful
  2. Alternative name for 蜈蚣 (wúgōng, “centipede”).
  3. Alternative name for 馬陸／马陆 (mǎlù, “millipede”).
  4. the rich and powerful
2 死而不僵 sǐérbùjiāng
  1. dead but showing no signs of rigor mortis
  2. to die hard (idiom)
  3. to die yet not be vanquished (idiom)