Chinese word

苦力

Pronunciation

Pinyinkǔ lì

Meaning

  • nounmanual laborer

Example

工地上那些苦力负责搬运材料。gōng dì shàng nà xiē kǔ lì fù zé bān yùn cái liào

The manual laborers at the construction site are responsible for moving materials.

Illustration for 苦力 (manual laborer)

More examples

他以苦力为生，生活很艰难。tā yǐ kǔ lì wéi shēng shēng huó hěn jiān nán

He earns a living through manual labor, and life is very difficult.

Core concept

A temporary laborer identified with strenuous carrying and loading rather than a specialized trade.

Common phrases

  • 雇佣苦力gù yōng kǔ lì

    hire manual laborers

  • 从事苦力工作cóng shì kǔ lì gōng zuò

    work as a manual laborer

  • 以苦力为生yǐ kǔ lì wéi shēng

    earn a living through manual labor

Similar words

搬运工bān yùn gōng: A worker whose job is carrying goods, supplies, or building materials.
工人gōng rén: A worker in a factory, building site, or similar place who does practical work.
临时工lín shí gōng: A worker hired for a short time or when extra workers are needed.
劳动者láo dòng zhě: A broad term for a person who does work to earn a living.

Definition in Chinese

指从事粗重体力劳动，通常以搬运、装卸或日雇为主，报酬较低且语义上常带贬义或历史色彩的劳动者。zhǐ cóng shì cū zhòng tǐ lì láo dòng tōng cháng yǐ bān yùn zhuāng xiè huò rì gù wéi zhǔ bào chóu jiào dī qiě yǔ yì shàng cháng dài biǎn yì huò lì shǐ sè cǎi de láo dòng zhě

Word origin

苦力 (kǔlì, "manual laborer") comes from the borrowed term coolie and is written with characters that evoke bitter effort and force.

Usage tips

  • For everyday speech, the term requires care because modern listeners may hear it as a derogatory or old-fashioned name for a worker rather than a simple job description.

Other meanings

  • porternoun
  • day laborernoun

Opposites

  • 文职人员wén zhí rén yuánoffice staffnoun
  • 管理人员guán lǐ rén yuánmanagement personnelnoun

Word lists with this word