During the Warring States period in China between 500-300 B.C., warfare was constant between fiefs and kingdoms in their struggles for supremacy. The King of Wei also wanted to achieve supremacy. He planned to first take the capital of another kingdom called Yan. Hearing the news, his adviser, Ji Liang who was on mission in another kingdom hurried back home.

He told the King of Wei something strange that had happened.

"I met a strange traveler on my way to see Your Majesty. He was in a carriage heading North. I asked him where he was going. The man answered he was going to the State of Chu. I was surprised and told him that Chu is in the South and he was heading northward."

"Never mind", he answered me obstinately, 'my horse is a good steed. It runs very fast.'"

"'No matter how fast it runs,' I said, 'you can never reach Chu by going northward.'"

"'I have brought sufficient money with me,' he replied."

" 'The Problem is you're not on the way to Chu.' I continued."

"'Well,' answered the traveler still more obstinately, 'I'm a good driver.' And with that he went on his journey north."

The King of Wei was amused by the story of the funny man. Then Ji Liang said: "Your Majesty, if you want to achieve supremacy, you need to first gain the respect of the world. Now if your Majesty takes over the land of Yan by force, that will only take you away from your goal. I'm afraid I don't see any difference in your behavior and that of the traveler."

Now the King understood what Ji Liang was alluding to. He canceled his plan to attack Yan.

The idiom "aiming south while driving north" is often used to describe those whose actions actually contradict their objectives.