反其道而行之
Meanings
- to do the very opposite
- to act in a diametrically opposite way
Characters in this entry
- 反
- fǎn · reverse, opposite, contrary, anti
- 其
- qí · his, her, its, their; that
- 道
- dào · path, road, street; method, way
- 而
- ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
- 行
- xíng · go; walk; move, travel; circulate; Kangxi radical 144
- 之
- zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
3–2–4–2–2–1 · fan3 qi2 dao4 er2 xing2 zhi1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
faan2 kei4 dou6 ji4 hang4 zi1
Cantonese word readings for 反其道而行之. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to do just the opposite; to act in a diametrically opposite way
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack