蛀虫

蛀蟲
zhùchóng
noun #29,857

Meanings

  1. 1 wood-boring insect
  2. 2 bookworm; clothes moth; any insect that eats into wood, books, or clothing
  3. 3 (figurative) a corrupt person; a parasite on society

Examples

Zhè pī mùcái bèi zhùchóng sǔnhuài le.
This batch of timber was damaged by wood-boring insects.
Tā bèi chēng wéi dǎng nèi de zhùchóng, zuìzhōng bèi cháchǔ.
He was called a parasite within the party and was eventually investigated and punished.

Tips

usage
蛀虫 is often used figuratively in Chinese political discourse to describe corrupt officials who eat away at the system from within, like a worm boring through wood.

Stroke Order

zhù
chóng