Definition
压榨 (yā zhà) has two related senses: physically pressing/squeezing to extract liquid (e.g., oil), and figuratively exploiting people harshly. Unlike 榨 (zhà), which is limited to the physical act (press juice, oil), 压榨's figurative use is stronger and more vivid than 剥削 (bō xuē), which is purely economic exploitation. 挤压 (jǐ yā) only refers to physical squeezing or pressure, without the exploitation meaning.
verb
to pressto squeeze (for juice, oil, etc.)to exploitto squeeze (people, labor)
Examples
- 压榨。Nóngmín yòng chuántǒng fāngfǎ yā zhà huāshēng yóu.Farmers use traditional methods to press peanut oil.
- 压榨。Yǒuxiē lǎobǎn wèile lìrùn búduàn yā zhà yuángōng.Some bosses constantly squeeze employees for profit.
- 压榨。Zhèngfǔ yīnggāi tíngzhǐ yā zhà zhōngxiǎo qǐyè.The government should stop squeezing small and medium enterprises.
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