conscript civilians; press into service
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to press civilians into service; to conscript laborers (historically)
archaicA historical practice common in pre-modern China where soldiers would forcibly seize common people to serve as laborers or porters. Now used to describe any coercive conscription or to criticize modern practices of forced labor.
Jūn军
fá阀
hùn混
zhàn战
shí时
qī期
，
shì士
bīng兵
jīng经
cháng常
dào到
cūn村
lǐ里
lā拉
fū夫
。
During the period of warlord conflicts, soldiers often went to villages to press civilians into service.
Tā他
bèi被
lā拉
qù去
xiū修
lù路
，
dāng当
le了
sān三
gè个
yuè月
de的
kǔ苦
lì力
。
He was conscripted to build roads and served as a laborer for three months.
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Zhè这
zhǒng种
xíng行
wéi为
wú无
yì异
yú于
jiù旧
shè社
huì会
de的
lā拉
fū夫
。
This behavior is no different from the press-ganging of the old society.