How do you pronounce 北辕适楚?

北辕适楚 is pronounced běi yuán shì chǔ in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 北辕适楚 literally mean?

Literally, 北辕适楚 means “to drive north to reach Chu”. It is used to mean “to act in a way that is contrary to one's stated purpose or goal”.

Where does 北辕适楚 come from?

北辕适楚 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 北辕适楚?

北辕：车子向北行驶；适：到。楚在南方，赶着车往南走。比喻行动与目的相反。

北辕适楚 — “To act in a way that is contrary to one's stated purpose or goal”

北辕适楚 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to act in a way that is contrary to one's stated purpose or goal”. To take actions that lead away from the intended objective. Literally, “To drive north to reach Chu”.

Frequency

北辕适楚 Pronunciation and Pinyin

北běi
辕yuán
适shì
楚chǔ

北辕适楚 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
北	běi	5	north
辕	yuán	14	cart shafts or official gate
适	shì	10	suitable, appropriate, fitting
楚	chǔ	13	clear, distinct, neat

Example Sentence with 北辕适楚

如果你想提高工作效率，却整天沉迷于无关紧要的琐事，那简直是北辕适楚。

If you want to improve your work efficiency but spend all day indulging in trivial matters, that's truly like driving north to reach Chu.

Origin and Story of 北辕适楚

During the Warring States period, King An of Wei decided to attack Handan, the capital of Zhao. Many ministers opposed his plan.

A minister named Ji Liang told the king a story: There was a man from Mount Taihang who prepared to travel to the State of Chu in the south. However, he insisted on driving his carriage north. The further he went, the further he was from Chu.

Ji Liang then explained that gaining supremacy was not about winning battles, but about winning the hearts of the people. Fighting a war would be like the man driving north to reach Chu, moving further from the true goal.

After hearing this, King An of Wei decided not to attack Zhao.

Idioms Related to 北辕适楚

Synonyms of 北辕适楚

Antonyms of 北辕适楚

yǒu有dì的fàng放shǐ矢to speak or act with a definite purpose

More idioms starting with 北

Questions about 北辕适楚

What does 北辕适楚 mean?: 北辕适楚 (běi yuán shì chǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to act in a way that is contrary to one's stated purpose or goal”.
How do you pronounce 北辕适楚?: 北辕适楚 is pronounced běi yuán shì chǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 北辕适楚 literally mean?: Literally, 北辕适楚 means “to drive north to reach Chu”. It is used to mean “to act in a way that is contrary to one's stated purpose or goal”.
Where does 北辕适楚 come from?: 北辕适楚 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 北辕适楚?: 北辕：车子向北行驶；适：到。楚在南方，赶着车往南走。比喻行动与目的相反。

Copy the pinyin for 北辕适楚 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.