Nuance Dictionary / Social Situations
동상이몽 dong-sang-i-mong
An institutional or political standoff where rival camps maintain a facade of cooperation while secretly pursuing diametrically opposed agendas.
What does 동상이몽 mean?
동상이몽 (dong-sang-i-mong) means: An institutional or political standoff where rival camps maintain a facade of cooperation while secretly pursuing diametrically opposed agendas.
Speakers turn to this when describing rival political factions, coalitions, or institutional bodies that cooperate outwardly while hiding separate agendas. It frequently appears in news commentary and political reporting. The verb forms 동상이몽을 꾸다 and 동상이몽을 하다 appear when describing these parallel yet conflicting pursuits.
In political commentary, this can read as a cynical observation of institutional fragility, highlighting that an apparent alliance rests on mutual self-interest rather than shared principles.
In political commentary, this can read as a cynical observation of institutional fragility, highlighting that an apparent alliance rests on mutual self-interest rather than shared principles.
Other sides of 동상이몽
◆ Business & Partnership Bluffing — Speakers use this to describe corporate alliances, negotiations, or joint ventures where a polite professional veneer masks fundamentally divergent goals. It commonly appears in contexts where hidden intentions or separate agendas undermine apparent cooperation, as seen in examples describing joint work with conflicting priorities or competing participants in a shared contest. It pairs with verbs like 꾸다 and 하다 to denote the act of maintaining separate visions despite a shared situation.
In business contexts, this can sound like a pragmatic critique of polite corporate harmony, often signaling that a joint venture rests on unstable or mutually distrustful foundations.
◆ Marital & Family Disillusionment — Speakers use this to describe close relationships—such as parents and children, or co-inhabitants—where individuals share physical space or daily routines but harbor distinct, unaligned desires. The expression turns up when contrasting an adult's structured hopes against a child's simple wish for leisure, or when partners and family members drift into separate mental worlds despite living side by side. It most frequently pairs with the verbs 꾸다 and 하다. In conversation, it appears when an observer diagnoses a mismatch in priorities between people who are supposed to be aligned.
Can carry a gentle, knowing humor or a resigned acknowledgment of domestic friction, highlighting how physical closeness does not guarantee shared understanding.
In business contexts, this can sound like a pragmatic critique of polite corporate harmony, often signaling that a joint venture rests on unstable or mutually distrustful foundations.
◆ Marital & Family Disillusionment — Speakers use this to describe close relationships—such as parents and children, or co-inhabitants—where individuals share physical space or daily routines but harbor distinct, unaligned desires. The expression turns up when contrasting an adult's structured hopes against a child's simple wish for leisure, or when partners and family members drift into separate mental worlds despite living side by side. It most frequently pairs with the verbs 꾸다 and 하다. In conversation, it appears when an observer diagnoses a mismatch in priorities between people who are supposed to be aligned.
Can carry a gentle, knowing humor or a resigned acknowledgment of domestic friction, highlighting how physical closeness does not guarantee shared understanding.
How it's actually used
- 월드컵 예선 두 번째 조에 속한 나라들은 서로 자기가 본선 티켓을 쉽게 거머쥘 것이라는 동상이몽을 꾸고 있다.
wol-deu-keop ye-seon du-beon-jjae jo-e sok-han na-ra-deul-eun seo-ro ja-gi-ga bon-seon ti-ket-eul swip-ge geom-eojwil geos-i-ran-i dong-sang-i-mong-eul kku-go it-da.
Countries in the second group of the World Cup qualifiers are each harboring the same illusion that they will easily seize a berth in the finals.
💡 Describes competitive nations in a shared group pursuing separate, conflicting expectations - 저들이 지금은 함께 고생하고 있지만 각자 꿍꿍이속들이 있어 서로 동상이몽을 하고 있다.
jeo-deul-i ji-geum-eun ham-kke go-saeng-ha-go it-ji-man gak-ja kkung-kkung-i-sok-deul-i is-seo seo-ro dong-sang-i-mong-eul ha-go it-da.
Even though they are suffering together right now, they each have their own hidden motives and are thus harboring different dreams.
💡 Describes individuals or groups cooperating outwardly while maintaining separate ulterior motives - A: 친구랑 같이 협동 과제를 하는데 서로 중요하다고 생각하는 우선순위가 달라서 자주 의견이 부딪치더라.
B: 동상이몽이네. 의견을 조율하는 게 쉽지는 않겠다.
A: chin-gu-rang gat-i hyeop-dong gwa-je-reul ha-neun-de seo-ro jung-yo-ha-da-go saeng-gaka-neun u-seon-sun-wi-ga dal-la-seo ja-ju ui-gyeon-i bu-dit-chi-de-ra. B: dong-sang-i-mong-i-ne. ui-gyeon-eul jo-yul-ha-neun ge swip-ji-neun anh-get-da.
A: I'm doing a collaborative project with a friend, but our priorities differ so much that our opinions keep clashing. B: That's a case of same bed, different dreams. Coordinating opinions won't be easy.
💡 A casual dialogue exchange identifying conflicting underlying goals in a shared project
Related words in Social Situations
뒷북치다 dwit-buk-chida어스름 eo-seu-reum억지 eok-ji어색하다 eosaekhada어영부영 Eoyeong-buyeong