běi​yuán​shì​chǔ

at cross-purposes

  1. north
    north; the direction to the left when facing the rising sun; northern part of a country or region
  2. shafts
    The long wooden poles at the front of a cart or carriage used for hitching animals.
  3. to go
    (literary) to go to; to reach; to head for
  4. Chu State
    the Chu Kingdom, a powerful state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (c. 1030–223 BC)