本末転倒 (ほんまつてんとう): mistaking the means for the end; putting the cart before the horse; getting one's priorities backwards
本末転倒
mistaking the means for the end; putting the cart before the horse; getting one's priorities backwards
Root and branch swapped around. The exact phrase for a process that has quietly become more important than the thing it was set up to produce.
The same saying in Chinese: 本末倒置