南轅北轍 nán yuán běi zhé

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

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

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

Characters

Character Meaning
南 nán HSK 3
south; surname Nan
轅 yuán
shafts of cart; yamen
北 běi HSK 1
north; (classical) to be defeated
轍 zhé
to withdraw; to remove; track