官府催税又催得厉害
“yet the authorities pressed hard for taxes.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
“and the harvest was less than 20 percent of normal,”
官府催税 又 催 得厉害
“yet the authorities pressed hard for taxes.”
“Even the last bit of grain”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
A recurring theme in historical Chinese narratives where agrarian commoners are caught between natural disasters and relentless official taxation.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
local authorities; government office (historical)
A standard historical term referring to feudal officials or magistrate offices.
pressing/demanding relentlessly
A common structure '[verb] + 得厉害' expressing an extreme degree of an action.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“People can't afford to pay taxes as it is. Now, you're even proposing an increase.”
“periods of prosperity are built on minimal taxation and corvée labor.”
“You're fed by the people's taxes.”
“the taxes had become outrageously high.”
“Requisitioning both grain and money like this—”
“Let the officials decide what to do.”