záo​yuán​ruì​fāng

a square peg in a round hole

  1. mortise
    a hole or socket cut into a piece of wood or stone to receive a matching part; a mortise (often in the idiom 方枘圆凿 fāng​ruì​yuán​záo)
  2. yuán adjective
    round
    round; circular; spherical; of the moon, full
  3. tenon
    (bound form) tenon; the protruding part of a joint in woodwork or metalwork that fits into a hole. Also used figuratively in phrases like 方枘圆凿 fāng​ruì​yuán​záo to describe things that are incompatible or do not fit together
  4. fāng adjective
    square
    square in shape; rectangular; a four-sided shape with right angles