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北辙南辕
北辙南辕
北辙南辕
北辙南辕
北辙南辕
北辙南辕
北辙南辕
北辙南辕

北辙南辕 — “To act in a way that is contrary to one's goals or intentions”

北辙南辕 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to act in a way that is contrary to one's goals or intentions”. To defeat one's own purpose. Literally, “cart heading north, shafts pointing south”.

Frequency

北辙南辕 Pronunciation and Pinyin

北辙南辕 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
北
běi5north
辙
zhé16wheel track or repeated mistake
南
nán9south direction
辕
yuán14cart shafts or official gate

Example Sentence with 北辙南辕

他想节省开支,却又不停地购买奢侈品,真是北辙南辕。
He wants to save money, yet he keeps buying luxury goods; he's truly defeating his own purpose.

Idioms Related to 北辙南辕

Synonyms of 北辙南辕

  • nán南yuán辕běi北zhé辙act contrary to one's goal

More idioms starting with 北

  • běi北sǒu叟shī失mǎ马A blessing in disguise
  • běi北gōng宫yīng婴ér儿a paragon of filial devotion
  • běi北dǒu斗zhī之zūn尊a revered figure
  • běi北chuāng窗gāo高wò卧live a leisurely and carefree life
  • běi北yuán辕shì适chǔ楚actions contrary to purpose
  • běi北yuán辕shì适yuè粤act in a way that defeats one's purpose
  • běi北chén辰xīng星gǒng拱widely revered and supported
  • běi北dào道zhǔ主rén人a host who provides hospitality
  • běi北guō郭xiān先shēng生a recluse who shuns public life
  • běi北bǐ鄙zhī之shēng声decadent music of a fallen dynasty
  • běi北bǐ鄙zhī之yīn音Decadent music of societal decline
  • běi北mén门zhī之jì寄entrusted with critical defense task

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Questions about 北辙南辕

What does 北辙南辕 mean?

北辙南辕 (běi zhé nán yuán) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to act in a way that is contrary to one's goals or intentions”.

How do you pronounce 北辙南辕?

北辙南辕 is pronounced běi zhé nán yuán in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 北辙南辕 literally mean?

Literally, 北辙南辕 means “cart heading north, shafts pointing south”. It is used to mean “to act in a way that is contrary to one's goals or intentions”.

What is the Chinese definition of 北辙南辕?

①想往南却驾车向北行驶。比喻行为和目的相反。②车子北往南来。喻人行无定迹。

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