Definitions

1. Verb (archaic): To conscript laborers by force; to compel people into labor service, typically for public works or military projects under coercive conditions.

Usage

• Historical Context: Used to describe the practice of forced labor recruitment, particularly during feudal times or colonial periods.
• Modern Context: May appear in historical discussions, literature, or critiques of past oppressive systems.
• Example Sentence:
  • Thời phong kiến, quan lại thường bắt phu để xây dựng các công trình. (In feudal times, officials often conscripted laborers by force to build public works.)

Advanced Usage

• Historical Analysis: The term is used in academic writing to analyze systems of corvée labor, colonial exploitation, or pre-modern state projects.
  • Chế độ bắt phu là một đặc trưng của nhiều xã hội tiền công nghiệp. (The system of conscripting laborers by force was a feature of many pre-industrial societies.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bắt lính (verb): To conscript soldiers by force.
• Cưỡng bách lao động (noun phrase): Forced labor.
• Phu phen (noun, archaic): A collective term for conscripted laborers or corvée workers.

Synonyms

• Cưỡng ép lao động: To force into labor.
• Trưng dụng lao động: To requisition labor (can imply legal authority but may involve coercion).

Notes on Meaning

• This term carries a strong negative connotation, implying injustice, oppression, and the abuse of authority.
• It is primarily a historical term and is not used for modern, voluntary employment or legal conscription (which would be "gọi nghĩa vụ lao động" or "tuyển dụng").

1. (từ cũ, nghĩa cũ) Recruit coolies by force