As you’re probably aware, most Chinese idioms are 4-character constructs that make little sense unless you know the story behind them. this one, 南辕北辙, means “to do something that acts against your own best interests”.
从前有一个人，从魏国到楚国去。他带上很多的盘缠，雇了上好的车，驾上骏马，请了驾车技术精湛的车夫，就上路了。楚国在魏国的南面，可这个人不问青红皂白让驾车人赶着马车一直向北走去。
路上有人问他的车是要往哪儿去，他大声回答说: “去楚国！”路人告诉他说: “到楚国去应往南方走，你这是在往北走，方向不对。那人满不在乎地说:”没关系，我的马快着呢!” 路人替他着急，拉住他的马，阻止他说, “方向错了，你的马再快，也到不了楚国呀!” 那人依然毫不醒悟地说: “不要紧，我带的路费多着呢!” 路人极力劝阻他说:“虽说你路费多，可是你走的不是那个方向，你路费多也只能白花呀!” 那个一心只想着要到楚国去的人有些不耐烦地说: “这有什么难的，我的车夫赶车的本领高着呢!” 路人无奈，只好松开了拉住车把子的手，眼睁睁看着那个盲目上路的魏人走了。
那个魏国人，不听别人的指点劝告，仗着自己的马快、钱多、车夫好等优越条件，朝着相反方向一意孤行。那么，他条件越好，他就只会离要去的地方越远，因为他的大方向错了。
这个故事告诉我们，无论做什么事，都要首先看准方向，才能发充分挥自己的有利条件；如果方向错了，那么有利条件只会起到相反的作用。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 从前 | cóng qián | previously; formerly; once upon a time |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 魏 | wěi | surname Wei; Wei state, founded by Cao Cao 曹操[Cao2 Cao1], one of the Three Kingdoms after the Han dynasty; Wei Prefecture or Wei County at various times in history |
| 国 | Guó | surname Guo |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 楚 | Chǔ | surname Chu; abbr. for Hubei 湖北省[Hu2 bei3 Sheng3] and Hunan 湖南省[Hu2 nan2 Sheng3] provinces together; Chinese kingdom during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (722–22… |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 带上 | dài shàng | to take along with one |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 盘 | pán | tray; plate; dish; (finance) (bound form) market prices; (computing) (bound form) disk; to coil (a rope, pigtail etc); to check; to examine; to investigate; to transfer; to sell (p… |
| 缠 | chān | to wind around; to coil; to involve; to annoy |
| 雇 | gù | variant of 雇[gu4]; to employ; to hire; to rent |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 上好 | shàng hǎo | first-rate; top-notch |
| 车 | Chē | surname Che |
| 驾 | Jià | surname Jia |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 骏 | ||
| 马 | Mǎ | surname Ma; abbr. for Malaysia 馬來西亞|马来西亚[Ma3 lai2 xi1 ya4] |
| 请 | qǐng | to ask; to invite; please (do sth); to treat (to a meal etc); to request |
| 车技 | chē jì | driving skills |
| 术 | shù | method; technique |
| 精 | jīng | essence; extract; vitality; energy; semen; sperm; mythical goblin spirit; highly perfected; elite; the pick of sth; proficient (refined ability); extremely (fine); selected rice (a… |
| 湛 | ||
| 车夫 | chē fū | cart driver; coachman |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 上路 | shàng lù | to start on a journey; to be on one's way |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 南面 | nán miàn | south side; south |
| 可 | kě | (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 不问 | bù wèn | to pay no attention to; to disregard; to ignore; to let go unpunished; to let off |
| 青 | Qīng | short name for Qinghai 青海[Qing1 hai3] |
| 红 | Hóng | surname Hong |
| 皂 | zào | soap; black |
| 白 | Bái | surname Bai; Bai ethnic group |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 赶 | gǎn | to overtake; to catch up with; to hurry; to rush; to try to catch (the bus etc); to drive (cattle etc) forward; to drive (sb) away; to avail oneself of (an opportunity); until; by … |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 马车 | mǎ chē | cart; chariot; carriage; buggy |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 向 | Xiàng | surname Xiang; to tend toward; to guide; variant of 向[xiang4]; variant of 向[xiang4]; direction; orientation; to face; to turn toward; to; towards; shortly before; formerly |
| 北 | běi | north; (classical) to be defeated |
| 走去 | zǒu qù | to walk over (to) |
| 路上 | lù shang | on the road; on the way; en route |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people; anyone; there is someone there; occupied (as in restroom) |
| 问 | wèn | to ask; to inquire |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 往 | wǎng | to go (in a direction); to; towards; (of a train) bound for; past; previous; old variant of 往[wang3] |
| 哪 | nǎ | how; which |
| 儿 | ér | child; son |
| 大声 | dà shēng | loud voice; in a loud voice; loudly |
| 回答 | huí dá | to reply; to answer; reply; answer |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 路人 | lù rén | passer-by; stranger |
| 告 | gào | (bound form) to say; to tell; to announce; to report; to denounce; to file a lawsuit; to sue |
| 诉 | sù | variant of 訴|诉[su4]; to complain; to sue; to tell |
| 应 | Yīng | surname Ying; Taiwan pr. [Ying4] |
| 南方 | nán fāng | south; southern direction; (in China) southern regions, often referring to areas south of the Yangtze River |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle); to visit; to leave; to go away; to die (euph.); from; through; away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[che4 zou3]); to change (shape, form… |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 方向 | fāng xiàng | direction; orientation |
| 不对 | bù duì | incorrect; wrong; amiss; abnormal; queer |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 不 | bù | no; not so; (bound form) not; un- |
| 乎 | hu | (classical particle similar to 於|于[yu2]) in; from; than |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 没 | méi | (negative prefix for verbs) have not; not |
| 关 | Guān | surname Guan |
| 系 | xì | to connect; to relate to; to tie up; to bind; to be (literary); system; department; faculty; to tie; to fasten; to button up |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 呢 | ne | (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?"); (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation… |
| 替 | tǐ | to substitute for; to replace; on behalf of |
| 着急 | zháo jí | to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry; Taiwan pr. [zhao1ji2] |
| 拉 | lā | to pull; to play (a bowed instrument); to drag; to draw; to chat; (coll.) to empty one's bowels |
| 住 | zhù | to live; to reside; to stay; to stop; to cease; (result complement indicating firmness or a stable achieved state) |
| 阻止 | zǔ zhǐ | to prevent; to block |
| 错 | Cuò | surname Cuo |
| 再 | zài | again; once more; re-; further; beyond this point of time; (before an adjective) more; then (after sth, and not until then); no matter how ... (followed by an adjective or verb, an… |
| 也 | Yě | surname Ye |
| 不了 | bù le | no thanks (used to politely but informally decline) |
| 呀 | yā | ah (used to express surprise); (onom.) creaking |
| 依 | yi | to depend on; according to |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 毫不 | háo bù | hardly; not in the least; not at all |
| 醒 | xǐng | to wake up; to be awake; to become aware; to sober up; to come to |
| 悟 | wǔ | to comprehend; to become aware |
| 不要 | bù yào | don't!; must not |
| 紧 | jǐn | tight; strict; close at hand; near; urgent; tense; hard up; short of money; to tighten |
| 带 | dài | band; belt; girdle; ribbon; tire; area; zone; region; CL:條|条[tiao2]; to wear; to carry; to take along; to bear (i.e. to have); to lead; to bring; to look after; to raise |
| 路费 | lù fèi | travel expenses; money for a voyage; toll |
| 极 | jí | extremely; pole (geography, physics); utmost; top |
| 力劝 | lì quàn | to strongly urge |
| 阻 | zǔ | to hinder; to block; to obstruct |
| 虽说 | suī shuō | though; although |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 那个 | nà ge | that one; that thing; that (as opposed to this); (used before a verb or adjective for emphasis); (used to humorously or indirectly refer to sth embarrassing, funny etc, or when one… |
| 只 | zhī | variant of 隻|只[zhi1]; variant of 只[zhi3]; grain that has begun to ripen; classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 花 | Huā | surname Hua; old variant of 花[hua1]; variant of 花[hua1]; flower; blossom; also pr. [wei3] |
| 一心 | yī xīn | wholeheartedly; heart and soul |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to); to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) |
| 有些 | yǒu xiē | some; somewhat; rather; a bit |
| 耐 | nài | (bound form) to bear; to endure; to withstand |
| 烦 | fán | to feel vexed; to bother; to trouble; superfluous and confusing; edgy |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 难 | nán | difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good |
| 赶车 | gǎn chē | to drive a horse-drawn cart; to hasten to catch a train or bus |
| 本领 | běn lǐng | skill; ability; capability; CL:項|项[xiang4],個|个[ge4] |
| 高 | Gāo | surname Gao |
| 无奈 | wú nài | to have no alternative; frustrated; exasperated; helpless; (conjunction) but unfortunately |
| 只好 | zhǐ hǎo | to have no other option but to ...; to have to; to be forced to |
| 松开 | sōng kāi | to release; to let go; to loosen; to untie; to come loose |
| 车把 | chē bǎ | handlebar (of a bicycle); shaft (of a rickshaw) |
| 子 | zǐ | son; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders o… |
| 手 | shǒu | hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly); convenient; classifier for skill; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 眼 | yǎn | eye (CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1]); (often used with 一[yi1]) a look; a glance; small hole; (bound form) salient point; classifier for wells, cave-dwellings etc |
| 睁 | zheng | to open (one's eyes) |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 盲目 | máng mù | (fig.) (of one's actions) blind; unthinking |
| 国人 | guó rén | compatriots (literary); fellow countrymen |
| 听 | yǐn | smile (archaic); to listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey; a can (loanword from English "tin"); classifier for canned beverages; to let be; to allow (Taiwan pr. [ting4]); (literary) to administer; t… |
| 别人 | bié ren | other people; others; other person |
| 指点 | zhǐ diǎn | to point out; to indicate; to give directions; to show how (to do sth); to censure; to pick at |
| 劝告 | quàn gào | to advise; to urge; to exhort; exhortation; advice; CL:席[xi2] |
| 仗 | zhǎng | weaponry; to wield; to depend on; battle |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 钱 | Qián | surname Qian |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 等 | děng | to wait for; to await; by the time; when; till; and so on; etc.; et al.; (bound form) class; rank; grade; (bound form) equal to; same as; (used to end an enumeration); (literary) (… |
| 优 | you | excellent |
| 越 | Yuè | generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods; abbr. for Vietnam 越南 |
| 条 | tiáo | strip; item; article; clause (of law or treaty); classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc) |
| 件 | jiàn | item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc |
| 朝着 | cháo zhe | towards |
| 相反 | xiāng fǎn | opposite; contrary |
| 一意 | yī yì | focus; with complete devotion; stubbornly |
| 孤 | gū | lone; lonely |
| 行 | háng | (bound form) row; line; (bound form) line of business; trade; profession; (bound form) commercial firm; (bound form) to rank (first, second etc) among one's siblings (by age); (in … |
| 那么 | nà me | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ...; then; in that case |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 离 | chī | mythical beast (archaic); surname Li |
| 地方 | dì fāng | region; regional (away from the central administration); local |
| 远 | yuǎn | far; distant; remote; (intensifier in a comparison) by far; much (lower etc) |
| 因为 | yīn wèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 大方 | Dà fāng | see 大方縣|大方县[Da4 fang1 Xian4] |
| 故事 | gù shì | old practice |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 无论 | wú lùn | no matter what or how; regardless of whether... |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 事 | shì | matter; thing; item; work; affair; CL:件[jian4],樁|桩[zhuang1],回[hui2] |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 首先 | shǒu xiān | first of all; in the first place |
| 看准 | kàn zhǔn | to observe and make sure; to check |
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only; (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) reall…; (variant of 才[cai2]) just now; (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only |
| 发 | fā | to send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; to make a bundle of money; classifier for gunshots (rounds); hair; Taiwan pr. [fa3] |
| 充 | chong | sufficient; full; to serve as; to act as |
| 分 | fēn | to divide; to separate; to distribute; to allocate; to distinguish (good and bad); (bound form) branch of (an organization); sub- (as in 分局[fen1 ju2]); fraction; one tenth (of cert… |
| 挥 | hui | to wave; to command; to scatter |
| 有利 | yǒu lì | advantageous; favorable |
| 如 | rú | as; as if; such as |
| 果 | guǒ | fruit; result; resolute; indeed; if really |
| 起到 | qǐ dào | (in an expression of the form 起到[qi3 dao4] + … + 作用[zuo4 yong4]) to have (a (motivating etc) effect); to play (a (stabilizing etc) role) |
| 作用 | zuò yòng | to act on; to affect; action; function; activity; impact; result; effect; purpose; intent; (suffix) -ation, -tion etc, as in 抑制作用[yi4 zhi4 zuo4 yong4], inhibition |
Long ago, there was a man traveling from the Kingdom of Wei to the Kingdom of Chu. He took a lot of traveling money with him, hired a good carriage, harnessed it to a strong steed, hired an exquisitely skilled driver, and then began his journey. The Kingdom of Chu was to the south of the Kingdom of Wei, but this man couldn’t tell the difference when the driver rode away towards the north.
On the road, a passing traveler asked where they were going. The man loudly answered, “We’re going to the Kindom of Chu!”. The traveler told him, “If you’re going to Chu, you should go south. You’re going north, it’s the wrong direction.” The man unconcernedly replied, “No problem! My horse is very fast.” Worried for him, the traveler pulled at the horse, and warned, “You’re going the wrong way. Even if your horse was even faster than it is, you still won’t reach the Kingdom of Chu!” Still not seeing the truth, the man said, “Don’t worry, I’ve brought a lot of money with me.” Making a concerted effort to dissuade him, the traveler said, “Though you may have a lot of money, you’re still going the wrong direction, and your money will be spent in vain.” Thinking of nothing other than getting to the Kingdom of Chu, the man impatiently said, “It’s not a problem, my driver is extremely skilled!” Out of options, the traveler let go of the carriage and watched helplessly as the aimless man from Wu rode away.
The man from Wu didn’t listen to anyone’s exhortations, relying on his fast horse, his money, his driver’s skill and many other favorable conditions, and obstinately continued to go in the opposite direction. Doing this, he could only continue to get further and further away from his goal, because his overall direction was wrong.
This story tells us, no matter what the situation is, we’d better first be sure we’re going the right way, and only then can we fully employ our other advantages, otherwise those advantages will just cause us pain [lit: have the opposite effect].