苦力

• Pinyin: kǔ lì
• Hanzi breakdown: 苦 = 艹 (grass) + 古 (old) — bitter; 力 = strength

Meaning

Manual laborer; coolie; hard physical work. Refers to people doing heavy labor or the work itself.

Historically referred to Chinese laborers who did heavy manual work, often under exploitative conditions. Today used more generally for hard physical labor or self-deprecatingly by those doing tough jobs.

Examples

1. 在旧社会，码头上的苦力过着非常艰辛的生活。 In the old society, dock laborers lived extremely hard lives.
2. 搬家那天，我一个人当了一天苦力。 On moving day, I worked as a one-man labor crew for the whole day.
3. 他开玩笑说自己在公司就是个干苦力的。 He jokes that he's just a manual laborer at the company.

Usage Guide

Context: labor, self-deprecation, history

Tone: informal

Do Say

• 今天干了一天苦力活。(I did manual labor all day today.)
• 别把我当苦力使唤。(Don't order me around like a laborer.)

Don't Say

• 用苦力侮辱别人的职业。(Don't use 苦力 to insult someone's profession — it can be condescending; use it self-deprecatingly or historically)

Origin & History

Compound of 苦 (bitter/hard) + 力 (strength/labor). The English 'coolie' derives from this word.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Working class