同床异梦 (tóng chuáng yì mèng) — (idiom) to be strange bedfellows; to have different agendas while appearing united

Definition

Idiom for partners or teammates who look united on the surface but secretly pursue different goals — covers both political alliances and marriages, not just business.

idiom
to be strange bedfellowsto have different agendas while appearing united

Examples

  • ，同床异梦。
    Tā men suī rán shì hé zuò huǒ bàn, dàn zǎo jiù tóng chuáng yì mèng le.
    Although they are business partners, they have long been strange bedfellows.
  • ，同床异梦。
    Zhè duì fū qī biǎo miàn shàng hé mù, shí jì shang tóng chuáng yì mèng.
    This couple appears harmonious on the surface, but in reality they have different agendas.
  • 同床异梦，。
    Yí gè tuán duì rú guǒ tóng chuáng yì mèng, jiù hěn nán qǔ dé chéng gōng.
    If a team is divided in purpose, it is hard for them to achieve success.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

同床same bed
同tóngsame床chuángbed
偏正Modifier + head
异梦different dreams
异yìdifferent梦mèngdream
偏正Modifier + head

同床 means same bed and 异梦 means different dreams, so partners look united while wanting different things.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The 床 shape combines 广, a house, and 木, tree, to show a wooden bed inside a house.

Open 床 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 異; 异 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 異 depicts a person with a mask 田 over the face, so the face looks different. The simplified 异 is a later shorthand.

Open 异 →

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 夢; 梦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夕夕xī
Sound part声符shēngfú
瞢
瞢méng夢mèng
Same sound today

The traditional form 夢 pairs 夕 (night) with 瞢, which gives the sound; its older form showed a person lying with an eye emphasized.

Open 梦 →

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