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同心协力 (tóng xīn xié lì) — to work together with a common purpose; to make concerted efforts

Definition

An idiom meaning 'work together with one heart' — all members unite around a shared goal and pool their effort. Stronger and more literary than the everyday phrase 一起努力.

idiom
to work together with a common purposeto make concerted efforts

Examples

  • 同心协力，。
    Dà jiā tóng xīn xié lì, yí dìng néng wán chéng zhè ge xiàng mù.
    If everyone works together with one heart, we can definitely complete this project.
  • 同心协力，。
    Zhǐ yǒu tóng xīn xié lì, cái néng kè fú zhè xiē kùn nan.
    Only by making concerted efforts can we overcome these difficulties.
  • 同心协力，。
    Tā men tóng xīn xié lì, zuì zhōng yíng dé le bǐ sài.
    They worked together as one and finally won the competition.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

同心unite hearts
同tóngsame心xīnheart
动宾Verb + object
协力combine strength
协xiéharmonize力lìstrength
动宾Verb + object

同心 'one mind' and 协力 'joint effort' combine to mean concerted effort.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

同 originally drew a pipe. It is the old form of 筒.

Open 同 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 協; 协 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 協 uses 劦, meaning 'to collaborate', plus 十 for sound; the simplified 协 is a later shorthand.

Open 协 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

Open 力 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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