南辕北辙

Traditional: 南轅北轍

nán yuán běi zhé

Dictionary entry

to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)

What does 南辕北辙 mean?

南辕北辙 (nán yuán běi zhé) has the following dictionary meaning.

1to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)

Character breakdown

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南Nánsurname Nan 辕yuánshaft of a cart or carriage · (bound form) entrance gate of a military camp or yamen; (fig.) government office 北běinorth · (classical) to be defeated 辙zhérut; track of a wheel (Taiwan pr. [che4]) · (coll.) the direction of traffic

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How to pronounce 南辕北辙

南辕北辙

nán yuán běi zhé

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.