南辕北辙(nán yuán běi zhé): to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)
to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)
Character breakdown
Watch how each character of 南辕北辙 is written, one at a time. When a character is finished, the next one draws.
Word information
- Pinyin
- nán yuán běi zhé
- Meaning
- to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)
- HSK level
- —
- Characters
- 4
- Traditional
- 南轅北轍
Related words
Common words sharing a character with 南辕北辙 — tap one to open its word page.
north and south
South Central China (Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan)
Zhongnanhai, palace adjacent to the Forbidden City, now the central headquarters of the…
south central region
to the south of (suffix)
Ben Bernanke (1953–), US economist and chair of the Federal Reserve 2006–2014
South Jeolla Province, in southwest South Korea, capital Gwangju 光州[Guang1 zhou1]
to go down south
Ready to master 南辕北辙?
Trace every character of 南辕北辙 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids and pinyin.