also: とぎょ
silverfish; bristletail
Refers to small, wingless insects that feed on paper, starch, and fabric. Sense 1 is the broader taxonomic term; sense 2 specifies the common Oriental silverfish (Ctenolepisma villosa). In everyday use, しみ usually means the household pest.
When I opened the old book, a silverfish came out.
bookworm (derogatory); someone who can't apply what they read
Derogatory term for a person who reads a lot but cannot put the knowledge into practice. Often used in the set phrase 紙魚の虫 (しみのむし).
Silverfish are pests that eat paper and clothing.
He's a bookworm who has knowledge but can't put it into practice.
本の虫 is a neutral or affectionate term for a bookworm, while 紙魚 is derogatory and emphasizes inability to apply knowledge.
Kanji spelling using jukujikun; the word is usually written in kana.
Alternate kanji spelling; rarely used.
Alternate kanji spelling; also read とぎょ.
Alternate reading for 蠧魚; rarely used.
The kanji 紙魚 (literally 'paper fish') and 衣魚 ('clothing fish') are jukujikun applied to the native Japanese word しみ, which originally referred to the insect. The derogatory sense derives from the image of a silverfish that lives in books but gains nothing from them.