toil; drudgery; hard labor
Refers to physically or mentally exhausting work, often with a nuance of suffering or hardship. Can be used for both literal labor and figurative burdens.
penal servitude; imprisonment with hard labor
Dated legal term for a punishment involving forced labor. Modern Japanese law uses 懲役 (ちょうえき) instead. Still encountered in historical contexts.
See also: 懲役
He was exhausted from the daily toil.
That job was like drudgery.
In the past, penal servitude was imposed on serious criminals.
The punishment of penal servitude is no longer used today.