刻舟求剑 kèzhōu-qiújiàn literally a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard
literally a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom); figuratively an action made pointless by changed circumstances
怎么记住“刻舟求剑”: 刻 quarter (hour) + 舟 boat + 求 request + 剑 sword = literally a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard.
汉字
用法
- From a man who marked the boat where his sword fell, then searched under that mark after the boat moved - for stubbornly clinging to a method after conditions have changed.
- Use it to criticize rigid, out-of-date thinking - 用老办法解决新问题，无异于刻舟求剑 applying old methods to new problems is like notching the boat to find the sword.
- Set idiom, written/argumentative register; usually a critique.