蚕食

国内工业品出厂价格指数八月创下三年最大降幅，请看本报昨日的报道：

The country’s factory-gate prices shrank at the sharpest pace in three years in August, falling deeper into deflationary territory and reinforcing the urgency for China to step up economic stimulus.

Analysts say flagging demand at home and abroad is forcing some Chinese businesses to slash prices to win new orders or cut output to contain costs, chipping away at already-lean profits and further dampening business confidence.

The fall was mainly driven by weakness in raw material prices, especially for energy and metals.

报道中的chip away at就是“蚕食、一点一点减少”的意思，例如：

The group hoped to chip away at its debts by selling assets.

集团希望通过出售资产来缩减债务。