苦役 (kǔ yì) — hard labor; penal servitude

Definición

Formal/literary term for forced or punitive hard labor, typically as a criminal sentence. Pair with the verb 从事 ('to engage in') or bear as 承受苦役.

noun

hard laborpenal servitude

苦役。
Tā bèi pàn le shí nián kǔ yì.
He was sentenced to ten years of hard labor.
，苦役。
Zài zhè ge gōng dì, gōng rén měi tiān dōu yào cóng shì kǔ yì.
At this construction site, workers have to do hard labor every day.
苦役。
Nà xiē qiú fàn měi tiān dōu yào chéng shòu chén zhòng de kǔ yì.
Those prisoners have to endure heavy hard labor every day.