齐心协力
- Literal
- to align hearts and join forces
- Figurative
- To pull together with one mind and one effort, everyone working toward the same goal to get something done.
Where does 齐心协力 come from?
It does not come from a particular tale: it is a set phrase made of two parallel halves that say the same thing from two angles, 齐心 ("to bring hearts into line") and 协力 ("to join forces") — shared will first, then shared work. Very close variants with the same structure circulate as well, such as 同心协力. Today it turns up mostly in team, workplace, and news language, whenever people are asked to cooperate on something big.
How is 齐心协力 used? Two examples
- 只要大家齐心协力,这个项目一定能按时完成。
If we all pull together, this project will be finished on time, no question.
- 那年发大水,全村人齐心协力守住了堤坝。
The year of the big flood, the whole village pulled together and held the levee.