DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
蠶食鯨吞
简 蚕食鲸吞 · 繁 蠶食鯨吞Mandarin · pinyin cán shí jīng tūn
Meanings
- (lit.) to nibble like a silkworm or swallow like a whale (idiom)
- (fig.) to seize (territory etc) incrementally or wholesale
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Mandarin tones
2–2–1–1 · can2 shi2 jing1 tun1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
caam4 sik6 king4 tan1
Cantonese word readings for 蠶食鯨吞. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to seize another country's territory by piecemeal encroachment or wholesale annexation
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack