nán
yuán
běi
zhé

idiom

Meaning of 南辕北辙

南辕北辙 means to act in a way that contradicts one's goal; to go south by driving the chariot north. Pronounced nán yuán běi zhé.

  • to act in a way that contradicts one's goal; to go south by driving the chariot north

Definitions & Examples

zhè
yàng
zuò
jiǎn
zhí
shì
nán
yuán
běi
zhé
 
biāo
yuè
lái
yuè
yuǎn
 

What you're doing is simply going in the opposite direction, getting further and further from your goal.

guǒ
gǎi
biàn
lüè
 
men
de
zhǐ
huì
nán
yuán
běi
zhé
 

If we don't change our strategy, our efforts will only backfire and move us away from our objectives.

de
xiǎng
xíng
dòng
nán
yuán
běi
zhé
 
suǒ
zǒng
shì
shī
bài
 

His thoughts and actions are diametrically opposed, which is why he always fails.

Zài
zhè
wèn
shàng
 
zhèng
de
zhèng
mín
zhòng
de
qiú
nán
yuán
běi
zhé
 

On this issue, the government's policies run counter to the needs of the people.