243Japanese idiom 四字熟語
呉越同舟
ごえつどうしゅうGoetsu dōshū
“Enemies of Wu and Yue in the same boat.”
The meaning
In the storm, even sworn enemies row together. Shared hardship reveals a useful truth: cooperation does not wait for affection.
At the origin
Sun Tzu's image: the rival kingdoms of Wu and Yue, united by the same possible shipwreck.
The characters
In practice
With an adversary, look for the common storm — that is where accord begins.
Editorial note
Classical Chinese origin (Sun Tzu).