苦工

tā děi guān dào jiān yù li qù zuò kǔ gōng

他得关到监狱里去做苦工。

He would have been doing hard labor in prison.

dāng kǔ gōng

当苦工

work as a coolie

tā zài dì zhǔ jiā zuò le shí nián kǔ gōng

她在地主家做了十年苦工。

She worked for ten years as a hard labourer in the landlord's house.

zhè ge fàn rén yǐ jīng zuò le liù nián kǔ gōng le

这个犯人已经做了六年苦工了。

The inmate had put in six years at hard labor.