南辕北辙

南轅北轍

nányuánběizhé

idiom #49,692

Meanings

1 shafts pointing south but wheels rolling north
2 to act in a way that defeats one's purpose
3 to go in the opposite direction from one's goal

Characters

wheel rut; track

Examples

你想减肥却天天吃夜宵，这不是南辕北辙吗？

Nǐ xiǎng jiǎnféi què tiāntiān chī yèxiāo, zhè bù shì nán yuán běi zhé ma?

You want to lose weight but eat midnight snacks every day — isn't that the opposite of your goal?

他的做法和公司的目标南辕北辙。

Tā de zuòfǎ hé gōngsī de mùbiāo nán yuán běi zhé.

His approach runs directly counter to the company's goals.

方法不对，结果只会南辕北辙。

Fāngfǎ bù duì, jiéguǒ zhǐ huì nán yuán běi zhé.

With the wrong method, you'll only end up going the opposite direction.

Tips

history

From 《战国策·魏策四》: a man tells Ji Liang he's driving his carriage to Chu (southern state) — but he's heading north. When warned, he boasts about his fast horses, ample money, and skilled driver. Ji Liang replies that the better these are, the further from Chu he'll end up. The tale cemented the idiom's meaning.

memory

辕 is the cart's shaft (pointing the direction of travel); 辙 is the wheel rut (the path actually taken). Shafts aimed south, ruts running north — the wrong direction is built into the cart itself.

Stroke Order

南 nán

辕 yuán

北 běi

辙 zhé