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勞改

简劳改 · 繁勞改

Mandarin · pinyin láo gǎi

abbr. for 勞動改造 láo dòng gǎi zào
reform through labor
laogai (prison camp)

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Characters in this entry

勞: Look up this written character
改: gǎi · change, alter; improve, remodel
劳: láo · labor, toil, do manual work

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Mandarin tones

2–3 · lao2 gai3

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

laogai; reform through labor; a slogan used by the criminal justice system of the People's Republic of China to refer to its prison labor system

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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