to act in a way that defeats one's purpose [idiom] ()
HSK 6
Traditional
南轅北轍
Radicals
Stroke order
Examples
你说要去北方，却一直往南走，真是南辕北辙。 Nǐ shuō yào qù běifāng, què yīzhí wǎng nán zǒu, zhēn shì nán yuán běi zhé. - You say you want to go north, but you keep heading south; this is like trying to go north by driving south.
他的想法和实际行动南辕北辙，难怪没有结果。 Tā de xiǎngfǎ hé shíjì xíngdòng nán yuán běi zhé, nánguài méiyǒu jiéguǒ. - His ideas and actions are completely at odds, no wonder there are no results.
如果你想成功，就不能南辕北辙地浪费时间在无关紧要的事情上。 Rúguǒ nǐ xiǎng chénggōng, jiù bùnéng nán yuán běi zhé de làngfèi shíjiān zài wúguān jǐnyào de shìqíng shàng. - If you want to succeed, you can’t waste time on irrelevant things, which is like trying to go north by driving south.
他的努力和方向南辕北辙，注定难以成功。 Tā de nǔlì hé fāngxiàng nán yuán běi zhé, zhùdìng nányǐ chénggōng. - His efforts and direction are completely at odds, and he is destined to find success difficult.
他们公司的策略和市场需求南辕北辙，注定失败。 Tāmen gōngsī de cèlüè hé shìchǎng xūqiú nán yuán běi zhé, zhùdìng shībài. - Their company’s strategy is completely at odds with market needs, and it is destined to fail.
Characters
南 nán - south | HSK 3
北 běi - north |
辕 yuán - shafts of a cart; outer gate of a government office in ancient times |
辙 zhé - tracks of a wheel; direction of traffic; (dialect) way, idea |