Definition
This chengyu literally means 'same bed, different dreams' and describes people who appear to work together or live together but have completely different goals or intentions. It often refers to a couple who are married but no longer share the same aspirations, or to business partners who outwardly cooperate while pursuing their own agendas. Use it to highlight hidden disunity beneath a surface of cooperation.
idiom
to be strange bedfellowsto have different agendas while appearing united
Examples
- ,同床异梦。Tāmen suīrán shì hézuò huǒbàn, 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 fūqī biǎomiàn shàng hémù, shíjì shàng tóng chuáng yì mèng.This couple appears harmonious on the surface, but in reality they have different agendas.
- 同床异梦,。Yí gè tuánduì rúguǒ tóng chuáng yì mèng, jiù hěn nán qǔdé chénggōng.If a team is divided in purpose, it is hard for them to achieve success.
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