蚕食

蠶食
cánshí
(lit. and fig.) to nibble away at

CEDICT

  1. (literary) to encroach upon; to eat away; to nibble away at
  2. to encroach upon; to eat away; to nibble away at

Wiktionary

  1. 蚕吃桑叶。
  2. 比喻渐进式侵占他国的土地。
  3. 比喻重敛民财。

重編國語辭典

Entry Composition

1 蚕 cán silkworm
2 食 shí
  1. to eat
  2. food
  3. animal feed
  4. eclipse

Containing this entry

蚕食鲸吞 cánshíjīngtūn
  1. lit. to nibble like a silkworm or swallow like a whale (idiom)
  2. fig. to seize (territory etc) incrementally or wholesale