lao dịch
Definition
- Noun:
- Corvée; forced or compulsory labor: A system, often imposed by a state or ruling authority, requiring unpaid labor for public works, such as building roads, bridges, or fortifications. Historically associated with feudal or colonial systems.
- Hard, arduous labor: Refers to any form of work that is extremely physically demanding, exhausting, and often performed under difficult conditions.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Dưới chế độ phong kiến, nông dân phải đi lao dịch mỗi năm. (Under the feudal regime, peasants had to perform corvée labor every year.)
- Công việc này chẳng khác gì một thứ lao dịch. (This job is no different from hard, grueling labor.)
Advanced Usage
- The term often carries a strong historical and negative connotation, implying exploitation, lack of freedom, and severe hardship. It is used to describe labor systems viewed as unjust or oppressive.
Variants and Related Words
- Lao động (n): Labor, work. This is the standard, neutral term for work.
- Lao động trí óc. (Intellectual work.)
- Lao tù (n): Prison labor; hard labor as a punishment.
- Bị kết án khổ sai lao tù. (Sentenced to penal servitude.)
Synonyms
- Corvée: Unpaid labor for the state.
- Hard labor: Physically demanding work.
- Drudgery: Hard, menial, or dull work.
- Toil: Exhausting physical labor.
Related Idioms
- While "lao dịch" itself is not commonly used in modern Vietnamese idioms, its concept is related to expressions describing extreme toil.
- Đầu tắt mặt tối: (Lit: head extinguished, face dark). To work tirelessly from dawn till dusk.
- Họ làm việc đầu tắt mặt tối để nuôi con. (They work tirelessly to feed their children.)