Synopsis
Ke Zhou Qiu Jian is a Chinese idiom meaning to be rigid and inflexible, from a story of a man who marked his boat to find a dropped sword in the river.
The Story
The idiom Mark the Boat for the Sword comes from the text Lu Shi Chun Qiu (Master Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals). A man from Chu was crossing a river by boat when his sword fell into the water. He immediately carved a mark on the side of the boat, saying: This is where my sword fell. When the boat reached shore, he dove into the water at the marked spot to look for his sword, but naturally found nothing. The boat had already moved far away, while the sword remained where it fell.
Origin
This idiom comes from Lu Shi Chun Qiu, chapter Cha Jin.
Definition
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | ke zhou qiu jian |
| Meaning | To be rigid and inflexible, unable to adapt |
| Synonyms | Waiting by a stump for a hare |
| Antonyms | Adapting to circumstances |
Moral
This idiom teaches us that the world is constantly changing. If we use a static viewpoint to understand problems, we will make mistakes. We must adapt to actual conditions rather than being rigid and dogmatic.
References
- Baidu Baike: Ke Zhou Qiu Jian
- ZDIC: Chinese Dictionary
- Lu Shi Chun Qiu
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