整理/王璟瑄 制圖/董怡璇

吳越同舟

　　吳、越兩國人同乘一條船。比喻雙方雖有舊怨，但面臨共同的危難困境，也會團結一致，相互救助。春秋時代，吳、越是相互仇視的鄰國，但當兩國人同船渡江、遭遇風浪時，他們卻相互救援，如同一個人的左右手一樣。它包含的思想是：敵友不是絕對的，也不是永恒的，在一定的境遇下可以化敵為友。

People of Wu and Yue Are in the Same Boat

　　In the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu and Yue were neighboring states which were hostile to each other. Wu and Yue people being in the same boat is a metaphor for overcoming old grievances to face common danger. When people from these two states were crossing a river in the same boat and encountered a storm, they had to work together to save themselves; in that sense, they were just like the left and right hands of the same person. The story implies that there is no absolute and perpetual enmity or friendship. Under certain circumstances, an enemy can be turned into a friend.

引例

　　吳越之人，同舟濟江，中流遇風波，其相救如左右手者，所患同也。（《孔叢子·論勢》）（吳、越兩國的人同乘一條船渡江，中途遭遇風浪，他們之所以像一個人的左右手一樣相互救援，是因為他們遇到共同的危難。）

　　People of the states of Wu and Yue were crossing a river in the same boat when they encountered strong winds and waves midstream. To save themselves from a common peril, they worked together like the left and right hands of the same person. (Collected Works of the Confucian Family)