同仇敌忾

同仇敵愾

tóngchóu-díkài

idiom

Meanings

1 united in hatred of a common enemy
2 shared anger against a common foe

Characters

together; shared

enemy; to oppose

righteous indignation

Examples

HSK 7-9

面对外敌入侵，全国人民同仇敌忾。

Miànduì wàidí rùqīn, quánguó rénmín tóngchóu-díkài.

Facing foreign invasion, the whole nation was united in hatred of the common enemy.

HSK 7-9

球迷们同仇敌忾，一齐为主队加油。

Qiúmí men tóngchóu-díkài, yìqí wèi zhǔduì jiāyóu.

The fans rallied together with shared feeling and cheered for the home team.

Tips

history

Fused from two classics: 《诗经·秦风·无衣》修我戈矛，与子同仇 (repair our spears, share this enemy with you) and 《左传·文公四年》诸侯敌王所忾 (the vassal lords share the king's indignation). 忾 (kài) here means righteous anger, not hatred in general.

mistakes

忾 is often misread as kǎi or qì. The correct reading here is kài (4th tone), a rare pronunciation preserved only in this chengyu.

Stroke Order

同 tóng

仇 chóu

敌 dí

忾 kài