同舟共济

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: tóng zhōu gòng jì
• English Translation: In the same boat, sharing a common fate, working together through difficulties
• Idiom Composition: 「同」（same, together）＋「舟」（boat）＋「共」（together, jointly）＋「济」（to cross, to ford）
• Meaning: Literally means being in the same boat and crossing the river together. By extension, it refers to people cooperating and overcoming difficulties together, transcending differences in interests and positions during challenging situations.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「同舟共济」 contains the following nuances:

• Community of shared destiny: Represents the awareness of sharing a common destiny by being in the same boat.
• Mutual assistance: Conveys the lesson that mutual help is essential to overcome difficult situations.
• Importance of unity: Emphasizes the importance of uniting and working together toward common goals.
• Cooperation beyond self-interest: Indicates that even adversaries can cooperate beyond their self-interests when facing a common crisis.

3. Usage

「同舟共济」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Cooperation in difficult situations: Describes people cooperating to solve problems in difficult situations such as disasters, crises, or project challenges.
  • Example:「在这次抗洪救灾中，全国人民同舟共济，取得了最终的胜利。」
    （In this flood relief effort, the entire nation worked together through the crisis and achieved ultimate victory.）
• Organizational or team unity: Describes companies, organizations, or teams working unitedly toward common goals.
  • Example:「公司全体员工同舟共济，共同应对市场挑战。」
    （All company employees work together to jointly address market challenges.）
• International cooperation: Can also describe nations cooperating to solve common problems.
  • Example:「各国应同舟共济，共同应对全球气候变化。」
    （Nations should work together to jointly address global climate change.）

Additional Examples:

1. 面对疫情，全世界人民需要同舟共济，共克时艰。
   （Facing the pandemic, people worldwide need to work together to overcome difficulties jointly.）
2. 虽然我们来自不同的背景，但在这次项目中，我们要同舟共济，共同努力。
   （Although we come from different backgrounds, in this project we must work together and make joint efforts.）
3. 只有同舟共济，我们才能战胜一切困难。
   （Only by working together can we overcome all difficulties.）
4. 在这个团队里，我们要像一家人一样同舟共济，互相支持。
   （In this team, we must work together like a family and support each other.）
5. 面对激烈的市场竞争，我们必须与合作伙伴同舟共济，才能立于不败之地。
   （Facing fierce market competition, we can only achieve an undefeated position by working together with our partners.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• Connection to '呉越同舟': 同舟共济 is closely related to the historical idiom '呉越同舟'. This refers to a Spring and Autumn period story where people from the antagonistic states of Wu and Yue happened to be in the same boat during a storm and cooperated to overcome the crisis.
• Spirit of '和' (harmony): Chinese culture emphasizes the spirit of '和' (harmony, cooperation). 同舟共济 embodies this spirit of harmony.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 同心协力 (tóng xīn xié lì): Working together with united effort.
  • 患难与共 (huàn nàn yǔ gòng): Sharing hardships together.
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 各行其是 (gè xíng qí shì): Each acting on their own without coordination.
  • 分道扬镳 (fēn dào yáng biāo): Parting ways, going separate paths.

6. Summary

'同舟共济' is an idiom expressing people's cooperation and joint efforts to overcome difficulties in challenging situations. It reflects the Chinese cultural spirit of '和' (harmony) and is used in various contexts in modern society. Being aware of its connection to '呉越同舟' can help you use this idiom more appropriately.