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呉越同舟

ごえつどうしゅう

enemies in the same boat

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 呉越同舟で協力した。

    ごえつどうしゅうできょうりょくした。

    Bitter rivals cooperated in the same boat.

  2. 両社は呉越同舟の関係にある。

    りょうしゃはごえつどうしゅうのかんけいにある。

    The two companies are rivals forced to share a boat.

  3. 災害時には、対立する政党も呉越同舟で動いた。

    さいがいじには、たいりつするせいとうもごえつどうしゅうでうごいた。

    In the disaster, even opposing parties set aside their feud and worked together.

Common patterns

呉越同舟の関係
a relationship of rivals in one boat
呉越同舟で協力する
to cooperate despite being enemies
呉越同舟の状態
a state of forced cooperation

Memory tip

Wu (呉) and Yue (越) were enemy states; if their people are caught in one boat in a storm they must row together anyway. The point is that the cooperation is forced by circumstance, never friendship.

Kanji in this word

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What does 呉越同舟 mean?