HSK 6 vocabulary › 南辕北辙
南辕北辙
南辕北辙 in English: to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)
nán yuán běi zhé
to act in a way that defeats one's purpose (idiom)
How to pronounce 南辕北辙
nán yuán běi zhé (without tone marks: nan yuan bei zhe). nán is a second (rising) tone; yuán is a second (rising) tone; běi is a third (low, dipping) tone; zhé is a second (rising) tone.
Characters in 南辕北辙
南 nán
south
south
辕 yuán
shaft of a cart or carriage; (bound form) entrance gate of a military camp or yamen; (fig.) government office
shaft of a cart or carriage; (bound form) entrance gate of a military camp or yamen; (fig.) government office
北 běi
north; (classical) to be defeated
north; (classical) to be defeated
辙 zhé
rut; track of a wheel (Taiwan pr. [che4]); (coll.) the direction of traffic; a rhyme (of a song, poem etc)
rut; track of a wheel (Taiwan pr. [che4]); (coll.) the direction of traffic; a rhyme (of a song, poem etc)
Related words
| 北京 | běi jīng | Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China | HSK 1 |
| 南 | nán | south | HSK 3 |
| 北方 | běi fāng | north; the northern part a country | HSK 3 |
| 指南针 | zhǐ nán zhēn | compass | HSK 6 |
| 北极 | běi jí | the North Pole; the Arctic Pole | HSK 6 |