guolaosi en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- gwô′lou′dzœ′
Etymology
From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 過勞死 /过劳死 (guòláosǐ), from Japanese 過労死 (karōshi). Doublet of gwarosa and karoshi.
Meanings
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(uncountable) Death from overwork.
They say that Chinese workers in factories supplying Wal-Mart are dying from guolaosi—“overwork death”—from working upwards of fifteen hours a day, seven days a week, for months on end in a frenzy to quickly and cheaply fill demand ...
2005, Melissa Rossi, What Every American Should Know About Who's Really Running the World, →ISBN:Such a concept is also recognised in South Korea where it is referred to as gwarosa (과로사/過勞死) and in China, overwork-induced suicide is called guolaosi (过劳死).
2017 July 16, “Dying Through Overwork. Working Hours in Asia.”, in Bird & Bird, archived from the original on 02 Jun 2025:Her parents were told it was 'unknown death' and received a small sum in compensation. But the villagers said it was the new disease, guolaosi. Overwork death.
2011, Eric Clark, The Real Toy Story: Inside the Ruthless Battle for Britain's Youngest Consumers, →ISBN:Although difficult to calculate, one prominent newspaper estimates that guolaosi claims the lives of 600 000 people in China each year.
2015, Steven McShane, Mara Olekalns, Alex Newman, Organisational Behaviour 5e; Emerging Knowledge, →ISBN:The Japanese concept of karoshi (過労死) comes to mind when I think of what can happen when you aren't in tune with your body's needs. Karoshi, a Japanese word that literally translates as "overwork death," is known as sudden occupational mortality. In South Korea, it's called gwarosa (과로사) and in China, guolaosi (過勞死／过劳死).
2022 July 12, Dwayne J. Clark, “KAROSHI CULTURE: A WARNING TO WORKAHOLICS”, in Dwayne J. Clark, archived from the original on 26 Mar 2023:Asia estimated that by June 2006 the number of deaths attributed to guolaosi in China had reached six hundred thousand per year.
2007, Anne Elizabeth Moore, Unmarketable: