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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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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