tạp dịch

Một người nông dân phải làm tạp dịch cho lãnh chúa.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Corvée / Forced labor: Unpaid work demanded by feudal authorities, such as kings or mandarins, from the peasantry or common people. This refers to a historical system of compulsory service.
   • Menial labor / Odd jobs: General, often unskilled, miscellaneous tasks or chores.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Dân làng phải đi làm tạp dịch cho nhà vua. (The villagers had to perform corvée for the king.)
  • Công việc của anh ấy chỉ là những việc tạp dịch trong văn phòng. (His job is just menial labor in the office.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is strongly associated with historical context and feudal oppression. In modern usage, it can imply tedious, low-status work.

Variants and Related Words

• Laodịch (n): Labor, work (a more general, neutral term for labor or service).

Synonyms

• Corvée: Unpaid labor for a feudal lord.
• Menial work: Work requiring little skill and often considered demeaning.
• Drudgery: Hard, menial, or dull work.

Related Idioms

• Chân tay tạp dịch: A phrase describing someone who does all sorts of miscellaneous, often physical, tasks.
  • Anh ta chỉ là chân tay tạp dịch cho ông chủ. (He is just an odd-job man for the boss.)