反其道而行之 (fǎn qí dào ér xíng zhī) — to do exactly the opposite; to act in direct opposition (to someone's approach)

Definition

Classical idiom meaning 'to go against the grain and do the opposite.' Used for deliberately taking a counter-approach when conventional methods fail.

idiom
to do exactly the oppositeto act in direct opposition (to someone's approach)

Examples

  • ，反其道而行之，。
    Tā men dōu zài tí gāo jià gé, wǒ men què fǎn qí dào ér xíng zhī, cǎi qǔ jiàng jià cè lüè.
    Everyone is raising prices, but we're doing the opposite – adopting a price-cut strategy.
  • 反其道而行之，，。
    Tā xuǎn zé fǎn qí dào ér xíng zhī, bú àn cháng lǐ chū pái, jié guǒ qǔ dé le chéng gōng.
    He chose to do the opposite and play outside the rules, and it ended up bringing him success.
  • ，反其道而行之，。
    Dāng bié rén máng mù gēn fēng shí, nǐ bù rú fǎn qí dào ér xíng zhī, xún zhǎo xīn fāng xiàng.
    When others blindly follow the trend, you might as well go the opposite way and look for a new direction.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
又又yòuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
厂
厂chǎng反fǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

反 uses 又 (hand) for meaning and 厂 for sound. Its original shape showed a hand turning its palm over, giving the sense of return or reverse.

Open 反 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The modern form 其 comes from an early drawing of a basket, with a stand added underneath.

Open 其 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

Open 而 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

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