Peon
“Peon”是名词,原指拉丁美洲等地的农奴或抵债劳工,现泛指做粗重低薪工作的勤杂工,也可比喻组织中地位卑微、受人差遣的人。
- “He started as a peon in the warehouse, loading boxes all day.” (他从仓库勤杂工做起,整天搬运箱子。)
- “In the old system, peasants were treated like peons.” (在旧制度下,农民被当作苦力对待。)
- “She refused to be a peon in someone else’s office politics.” (她不愿在别人办公室政治中当跑腿打杂的人。)
“Peon”源自西班牙语”peón”(步兵、劳工),进一步来自拉丁语”pedo”(行走),与”pedestrian”(行人)有遥远关联。
“Peon”没有前缀和后缀,为西班牙语借词。
在拉丁美洲历史上,“peon”指受地主束缚的农奴;在当代英语中多用于描述底层劳工,有时带贬义,暗示缺乏自主与尊严。
- 固定搭配: “office peon” (办公室勤杂工), “work as a peon” (做苦力活)
发音类似”peon”→“屁翁”——被人呼来喝去、地位卑微的苦力,即 peon。
“The young man took a job as a peon at the construction site, dreaming that hard work would one day lift him out of poverty.” (年轻人在工地当苦力,梦想靠勤劳有朝一日摆脱贫困。)