南辕北辙 (nán yuán-běi zhé) — to act in a way that completely contradicts one's own purpose; self-defeating; counterproductive
Definition
Idiom for acting completely against your own goal — the more effort you put in, the further you get from the result. Literally: heading south with the carriage, going north.
phrase
to act in a way that completely contradicts one's own purposeself-defeatingcounterproductive
Examples
- ，南辕北辙。Tā pīn mìng gōng zuò què bú gù jiā tíng, jiù xiàng nán yuán-běi zhé yí yàng.He works hard but neglects his family—like being completely self-defeating.
- ，南辕北辙。Rú guǒ yíng xiāo fāng xiàng yǔ kè hù xū qiú xiāng bèi, jiù shì nán yuán-běi zhé.If the marketing direction goes against customer needs, that's counterproductive.
- ，南辕北辙。Tā wèi le shěng qián ér chī huài le shēn tǐ, zhēn shì nán yuán-běi zhé.He ruined his health to save money — truly an act that defeats his own purpose.
Appears in
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