DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

南轅北轍

简南辕北辙 · 繁南轅北轍

Mandarin · pinyin nán yuán běi zhé

Characters in this entry

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

2–2–3–2 · nan2 yuan2 bei3 zhe2

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

4character links

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

naam4 jyun4 bak1 cit3

Cantonese word readings for 南轅北轍. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

naam4 jyun4 bak1 cit3

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

(idiomatic) to be counterproductive; to run counter to; to work at cross-purposes; to sabotage your own progress; to go off in the wrong direction; to be self-defeating