any of various insects or larvae that eat through wood, clothing, or grain, such as clothes moths or wood-boring beetles

bark beetle; specifically referring to beetles in the family Scolytidae that bore into wood

silverfish; a small wingless insect that feeds on clothes and books

Literally a giant wood-borer or bookworm; used to describe an extremely harmful or corrupt person who preys on the public or the state

lit. a door hinge never becomes worm-eaten; used to describe how regular activity or exercise prevents things from rotting or losing their function, often used in the phrase [[流水不腐|流水不腐|liu2 shui3 bu4 fu3]]

codling moth (Cydia pomonella)

to harm or endanger; to commit an act that causes damage to something from within like a pest or parasite

wood moth or carpenter moth

A tiny insect that feeds on the paper and glue of book bindings, such as a silverfish or book louse

to harm the country and bring suffering to the people; used to describe corrupt officials or harmful policies

traitor or public enemy; someone who harms the state from within like a pest or parasite

to decay and be eaten by worms; to rot and be infested with wood-boring insects

literally 'flowing water does not rot, and a door hinge is never eaten by worms'; used as a metaphor for how things that stay active do not deteriorate and can maintain their vitality

to be worn out or dilapidated

literary; a derogatory term for a person who is obsessed with pursuing official rank and wealth

an insect that eats through books; a silverfish or bookworm

Literally "many termites will cause the wood to snap"; an idiom used to warn that danger appears when many harmful factors are allowed to accumulate.

government officials who are corrupt and harm the people

malpractice; abuse; corrupt practice

corrupt or parasitic government that harms the people; tyranny

old books or bamboo slips that have been eaten or damaged by moths and woodworms

to be moth-eaten or worm-eaten

small, wingless insect with a silvery appearance that often lives in houses