百足之虫

百足之蟲
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

Wiktionary

Entry Composition

1 百足 bǎizú
  1. centipede
  2. millipede
2 之 zhī
  1. (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的 de)
  2. him
  3. her
  4. it
=3 虫 chóng variant of 虫 chóng
=3 虫 chóng
  1. lower form of animal life, including insects, insect larvae, worms and similar creatures
  2. (fig.) person with a particular undesirable characteristic

classifiers: 條, 隻
=3 虫 chóng
  1. dry hot air
  2. only used in 爞爞

Containing this entry

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