蚕 食 鲸 吞

cán shí jīng tūndictionary entry

(lit.) to nibble like a silkworm or swallow like a whale (idiom) / (fig.) to seize (territory etc) incrementally or wholesale

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-aff8f84aced22f9c. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

蠶食鯨吞 蚕食鲸吞 [can2 shi2 jing1 tun1] /(lit.) to nibble like a silkworm or swallow like a whale (idiom)/(fig.) to seize (territory etc) incrementally or wholesale/

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Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

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Other forms in these source records: 蠶食鯨吞

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.