[ cánshíjīngtūn ] gnaw as [like] a silkworm or swallow as [like] a whale; bite off little by little as a silkworm; gulp down or eat up by degrees; nibble at or gobble up (a neighbor's territory);nibble away like a silkworm or swallow like a whale; seize another country's territory by piecemeal encroachment or wholesale annexation; take by force and encroach upon land [territory]
