南辕北辙
nányuán-běizhéTraditional 南轅北轍
to act in a way that defeats one's purpose
Every meaning
nányuán-běizhé
- to act in a way that defeats one's purpose
Its characters
Words with 南
Words with 北
Meanings are from Mandarin The Wild’s own dictionary. Levels follow the official HSK word list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus, levels 7–9 shown together).