work as a farm laborer; toil for a landlord
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
work as a hired laborer; toil for a landlord or rich peasant
archaicA historical term describing the life of landless peasants in pre-liberation China. Carries connotations of hardship and exploitation.
Tā他
yé爷
ye爷
nián年
qīng轻
de的
shí时
hou候
，
zài在
Zhāng张
cái财
zhu主
jiā家
káng扛
huó活
。
When his grandfather was young, he worked as a farmhand for the landlord, Zhang.
Jiù旧
shè社
huì会
，
hěn很
duō多
rén人
kào靠
gěi给
dì地
zhu主
káng扛
huó活
wéi维
chí持
shēng生
jì计
。
In the old society, many people relied on laboring for landlords to make a living.
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Tā他
káng扛
le了
yī一
bèi辈
zi子
huó活
，
yě也
méi没
néng能
zǎn攒
xià下
shén什
me么
qián钱
。
He toiled as a laborer his whole life, yet still couldn't save any money.