1. | [u] 劳动;(尤指)体力劳动work, especially physical work |
manual labour(= work using your hands) 体力劳动 | |
The price will include the labour and materials. 此价格中包含人工费和材料费。 | |
The company wants to keep down labour costs . 公司想保持低劳动成本。 | |
The workers voted to withdraw their labour(= to stop work as a means of protest) . 工人投票决定罢工以示抗议。 | |
He was sentenced to two years in a labour camp(= a type of prison where people have to do hard physical work) . 他被判处两年劳改。 |
2. | [c][usupl] 任务;(一段时间的)工作a task or period of work |
He was so exhausted from the day's labours that he went straight to bed. 他工作了一天疲惫不堪,便直接上床休息了。 |
3. | [u] (统称)劳工,工人;劳动力the people who work or are available for work in a country or company |
a shortage of labour 劳动力的短缺 | |
Employers are using immigrants as cheap labour . 雇主正在把移民当作廉价劳动力使用。 | |
Repairs involve skilled labour , which can be expensive. 修理需要熟练技工,人工费会很昂贵。 | |
good labour relations(= the relationship between workers and employers) 良好的劳资关系 |
4. | [u][c][ususing] 分娩期;分娩;生产the period of time or the process of giving birth to a baby |
Jane was in labour for ten hours. 简分娩花了十个小时。 | |
She went into labour early. 她早产了。 | |
labour pains 分娩时的阵痛 |
5. | [singspv] 英国工党the British Labour Party |
He always votes Labour. 他老是投工党的票。 | |
Labour was/were in power for many years. 工党曾执政多年。 |
1. | [i] 努力做(困难的事)to try very hard to do sth difficult |
He was in his study labouring away over some old papers. 他在书房里潜心研究一些旧材料。 | |
They laboured for years to clear their son's name. 他们为洗刷儿子的罪名努力争取了许多年。 |
2. | [i] 干苦力活to do hard physical work |
We laboured all day in the fields. 我们在田地里辛勤劳动了一整天。 | |
the labouring classes(= the working class) 工人阶级 |
3. | [i] (+ adv./prep.) 困难吃力地行进to move with difficulty and effort |
The horses laboured up the steep slope. 那些马费力地爬上了陡坡。 |