刻舟求剑

kè zhōu qiú jiàn

HSK 7–9

Meaning

lit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom); fig. an action made pointless by changed circumstances

比喻办事刻板，不知变通。

To carve a mark on the boat to find the lost sword; metaphor for being rigid and not adapting to changing circumstances.

常用于批评那些拘泥于旧方法，不顾实际情况变化的人。

Used to criticize those who stick to old methods regardless of changing circumstances.

1 形势已经变了，你还用老办法，这不是刻舟求剑吗？ (The situation has changed. Using the old method is like carving a mark on the boat to find the sword.)
2 他总是不考虑实际情况变化，一味坚持原来的计划，简直就是刻舟求剑。 (He always ignores the changing circumstances and stubbornly sticks to the original plan, which is truly carving a mark on the boat to find the sword.)
3 学习新知识不能刻舟求剑，要灵活运用。 (When learning new knowledge, one should not be rigid; one must apply it flexibly.)
4 如果企业不根据市场需求调整策略，就会犯刻舟求剑的错误。 (If a company does not adjust its strategies according to market demand, it will make the mistake of carving a mark on the boat to find the sword.)
5 刻舟求剑的故事告诉我们，做事要懂得变通。 (The story of carving a mark on the boat to find the sword teaches us that we should know how to adapt.)

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