Going South by Driving the Chariot North
Once a man wanted to go to the south, but his carriage was heading north. A passer-by asked him: 'If you are going to the south, why is your chariot heading north? ' The man answered, 'My horse is good at running, my driver is highly skilled at driving a carriage, and I have enough money. ' The man didn't consider that the direction might be wrong; the better his conditions were, the further he was away from his destination.
译文
从前有个人要到南方去,他坐的车子却向北方行驶。过路人说:“你去南方,车子怎么向北行驶呢?”他回答说:“我的马很能跑路,我的车夫驾车的技术也很高明,加上我又带了充足的路费。”这个人没有考虑到,方向弄反了,他的条件越好,离他要去的地方就越远。
寓意
后来人们就把这个故事概括为“南辕北辙”,比喻一个人的行为和他的目的正好相反。