I am reminded of how in one of my second brother's letters he was complaining in somewhat sanscritised phraseology of being worked to death tied by the neck to his post of duty.

我记起在我二哥的某封信里，他用某种梵语的措辞向父亲抱怨说他忙得焦头烂额，连脖子都快要被工作套住了。

youdao

I think that subject has been 'worked to death' as the composition teachers would say, " replied Hung-chien. "There's nothing more to be said about it. How about finding some new topic for a joke?

鸿渐道：“我看这题目已经像教国文的老师所谓‘做死’了，没有话可以说了，你换个题目来开顽笑，行不行？”

youdao

They didn't work themselves to death; they worked themselves to life.

他们不是为了死而工作，他们是为了生活而工作。

youdao

Between 1975 and 1979, as many as two million Cambodians were murdered,starved, or worked to death as the ultra-communist Khmer Rouge tried to build a rural utopia.

VOA: standard.2010.04.19

Some members of the local community had strong feelings about the death and worked to make sure the skeleton stayed on the island.

VOA: special.2011.06.29

But before he can be worked to death, he meets a being who has appeared in real slave histories, and who gives the book a magical turn.

NPR: Walter Mosley: A Slave's Flight to Freedom in '47'

"I am extremely proud of my players, I thought they worked extremely hard right to the death, " Wigan coach Michael Maguire said.

BBC: Wigan Warriors 15-21 St George Illawarra Dragons

Swansea Health Community said it was important that agencies involved in child care worked together to avert tragedies like Aaron's death, and an action plan was in place to further improve procedures.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Wales | South West Wales | Failings found over baby's murder