"Tongzhou Gongji" literally means sitting in the same boat and crossing the river together. It comes from The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Chapter Nine: "The people of Wu and the people of Yue hate each other. Yet when they cross the river in the same boat and encounter wind, they rescue each other like the left and right hands." It tells how the people of Wu and Yue, though hostile to each other, can still rescue one another like left and right hands when they cross a river in the same boat and meet wind and waves. Later, it became a metaphor for uniting, helping one another, and working together with one heart to overcome difficulties in a difficult environment. This idiom emphasizes the spirit of collective cooperation and getting through hardships together, and it is often used when teams, countries, nations, and others face challenges. It carries a positive, commendatory emotional color and reflects the emphasis on unity and harmony in Chinese culture. When used, it mostly describes everyone making concerted efforts and overcoming difficulties together under dangerous or arduous conditions.
📝 Example
1. Facing the sudden flood, the whole village pulled together in times of difficulty and finally moved to the high ground safely.
2. In the economic crisis, all countries should pull together in times of difficulty rather than beggar their neighbors.