How do you pronounce 适得其反?

适得其反 is pronounced shì dé qí fǎn in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 适得其反 literally mean?

Literally, 适得其反 means “just get the opposite”. It is used to mean “to get just the opposite of what one intended or expected”.

Where does 适得其反 come from?

适得其反 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 适得其反?

适：正，恰好。恰恰得到与预期相反的结果。

适得其反 — “To get just the opposite of what one intended or expected”

适得其反 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to get just the opposite of what one intended or expected”. To backfire; to be counterproductive. Literally, “just get the opposite”.

Frequency

适得其反 Pronunciation and Pinyin

适shì
得dé
其qí
反fǎn

适得其反 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
适	shì	10	suitable, appropriate, fitting
得	dé	11	obtain, must, or suitable
其	qí	8	its, his, her, their
反	fǎn	4	reverse, opposite, anti

Example Sentence with 适得其反

他本想通过加班来提高工作效率，结果却适得其反，因为过度劳累导致错误频出。

He originally intended to improve work efficiency by working overtime, but it backfired, as excessive fatigue led to frequent errors.

Origin and Story of 适得其反

During the late Spring and Autumn period, Zhao Yang, a high-ranking official in the Jin state, was known for his benevolence and unwillingness to harm living creatures. Every New Year, he would release turtledoves presented to him by the common people and generously reward those who brought them.

However, someone pointed out to him that this practice ironically led to more turtledoves being caught and brought to him, resulting in the unnecessary killing of birds and a waste of public resources.

Zhao Yang realized the truth in this statement. Acknowledging that his good intentions were leading to the opposite of his desired outcome, he immediately issued an order to prohibit both the capture and release of turtledoves.

Idioms Related to 适得其反

Synonyms of 适得其反

shì事yǔ与yuàn愿wéi违Things don't turn out as hoped

Antonyms of 适得其反

More idioms starting with 适

Questions about 适得其反

What does 适得其反 mean?: 适得其反 (shì dé qí fǎn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to get just the opposite of what one intended or expected”.
How do you pronounce 适得其反?: 适得其反 is pronounced shì dé qí fǎn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 适得其反 literally mean?: Literally, 适得其反 means “just get the opposite”. It is used to mean “to get just the opposite of what one intended or expected”.
Where does 适得其反 come from?: 适得其反 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 适得其反?: 适：正，恰好。恰恰得到与预期相反的结果。

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