百足之蟲死而不僵 bǎi zú zhī chóng sǐ ér bù jiāng

DEFINITIONS

  1. a centipede dies but never falls down
  2. old institutions die hard

CHARACTERS

百 bǎi
HSK 2
one hundred; numerous, many
足 zú
HSK 2
foot; attain, satisfy, enough
之 zhī
HSK 4
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
蟲 chóng worms; insects
死 sǐ
HSK 4
die; dead; death
而 ér
HSK 3
and; and then; and yet; but
不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
僵 jiāng
HSK 6
stiff and motionless, stock still