nì xíng dào shīdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to go against the tide (idiom) / to do things all wrong / to try to turn back history / a perverse way of doing things
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-8c7478e9ed00cb28. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

逆行倒施 逆行倒施 [ni4 xing2 dao4 shi1] /to go against the tide (idiom); to do things all wrong/to try to turn back history/a perverse way of doing things/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 逆
    nì

    contrary / opposite / backwards / to go against / to oppose / to betray / to rebel

  • 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 data tables) row / (Tw) column / classifier for rows or lines

    héng

    used in 道行[dào héng]

    xíng

    (bound form) to walk / to go / to travel / (literary) trip / journey / visit / (bound form) temporary / makeshift / (bound form) current / in circulation / (bound form) to do / to perform / capable / competent / all right / OK! / will do / behavior / conduct (Taiwan pr. [xìng]) / (literary) about to / soon

  • 倒
    dǎo

    to fall / to collapse / to lie horizontally / to fail / to go bankrupt / to overthrow / to change (trains or buses) / to move around / to resell at a profit

    dào

    to invert / to place upside down or frontside back / to pour out / to tip out / to dump / inverted / upside down / reversed / to go backward / contrary to what one might expect / but / yet

  • 施
    shī

    (bound form) to put into effect (regulations etc) / to distribute (alms etc) / to apply (fertilizer etc)

    Shī

    surname Shi

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.