蚕食

蠶食
cánshí
verb #23,770

Meanings

  1. 1 to nibble away at
  2. 2 to erode gradually
  3. 3 to encroach on bit by bit

Examples

Línguó kāishǐ cánshí biānjìng dìqū.
The neighboring country began nibbling away at the border region.
Tāmen de shìchǎng fèné bèi jìngzhēng duìshǒu cánshí.
Their market share was gradually eroded by competitors.

Tips

memory
means silkworm, means to eat. Imagine a silkworm slowly eating through mulberry leaves — that steady, methodical nibbling is exactly what 蚕食 describes when territory or resources are gradually eaten away.

Stroke Order

cán
shí