虐げる

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 虐げる is read as しいたげる and is a transitive verb for oppressing or abusing a weaker person or group.
• Basic usage: A king oppressing the weak appears in 王が弱い者を虐げる, while people who have long been oppressed appear in 長く虐げられてきた人々.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Active and passive forms
  • Mark the people subjected to oppression with を, and express the state of having been oppressed with the passive form 虐げられてきた.