呉越同舟

• 読み: ごえつどうしゅう
• ローマ字: goetsu doshu
• 漢字の分解: 呉 (go) — ancient state of Wu; 越 (etsu) — ancient state of Yue; 同 (dou) — same; 舟 (shuu/fune) — boat
• 発音: /ɡo.e.t͡sɯ.do.ː.ɕɯː/

意味

Rivals in the same boat; sworn enemies who must cooperate due to shared circumstances.

A four-character idiom (yojijukugo) from the story of the ancient Chinese states of Wu (呉) and Yue (越), bitter enemies. It describes a situation where adversaries must work together because they share the same danger or goal. The modern implication is often ironic — forced cooperation between parties who would normally oppose each other.

例文

1. 選挙戦では呉越同舟の連立が組まれることも珍しくない。
2. 利害の一致した呉越同舟の関係が、この業界再編を動かしている。
3. 呉越同舟とはいえ、二人の協力は案外うまくいっていた。

使い方ガイド

場面: politics, business, alliances, irony

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

From the ancient Chinese military text Sunzi (孫子). The Wu and Yue kingdoms were historical rivals, and the story describes them crossing a river in the same boat — forced to row together despite their enmity.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient China → Classical Japan

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated