To invert tree roots and tree branches
Indicates that one has inverted the importance or order of two things
Negative
没有房子先置家具真是本末倒置 | Méiyǒu fángzi xiān zhì jiājù zhēn shì běnmòdàozhì
Buying furniture even though you don't even have a house is really putting the cart before the horse
[Source]
在学校里，学习和娱乐要分清主次，绝对不能本末倒置 | Zài xuéxiào lǐ, xuéxí hé yúlè yào fēnqīng zhǔ cì, juéduì bùnéng běnmòdàozhì
In school, studies and entertainment must be prioritized properly, and you must never get that order mixed up
[Source]
Put the cart before the horse
None
This chengyu actually comes from the same historical event as the chengyu 安然无恙 (ān rán wú yàng). See its entry here)
《答吕伯恭》(dá lǚ bó gōng), a work 朱熹 (Zhū Xī). 朱熹 was a Sòng Dynasty (宋, 960 - 1279) author and founder of neo-Confucianism
In 226 BC, the king of the kingdom of Zhào Guó (赵国) passed away, and his son became the next ruler. However, due to how young the new king was, his mother 赵威后 (Zhào Wēi Hòu) ruled in his stead.
Once, the neighboring kingdom of (Qí Guó) 齐国 sent an emissary to visit Zhào Guó. Without even opening the letter that the emissary had brought, 赵威后 asked, "Your country's harvest has been good this year, correct? Are the common people well? Is your king healthy?"
A displeased emissary replied, "My king sent me here to ask after you, and yet you first ask about not the king, but rather the commoners. How could you not put the more important person first?"
赵威后 replied with a laugh, "If there is no harvest, then there are no commoners. If there are no commoners, then there is no king. Do you mean to say that during official visits, you can overlook the big picture and only discuss the relatively unimportant (本末倒置)?"
Hearing this, the emissary was speechless.