{"path":"/entry/14156","title":"刻舟求剑 / 刻舟求劍 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn) — Chinese Dictionary | Flashbao","description":"刻舟求剑 / 刻舟求劍 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn): literally a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom) · figuratively an action made pointless by changed circumstances. Explore meanings, example sentences and vocabulary decks.","catalog":null,"deck":null,"entry":{"reading":{"id":14156,"orthography":{"forms":{"SIMPLIFIED":["刻舟求剑"],"TRADITIONAL":["刻舟求劍"]}},"phonetic":"kè zhōu qiú jiàn","phoneticKey":"ke4 zhou1 qiu2 jian4","meanings":{"primary":[{"qualifier":null,"synonyms":[{"segments":[{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"literally a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard ","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]},{"dim":true,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"(idiom)","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]}]},{"segments":[{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"figuratively an action made pointless by changed circumstances","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]}]}]}],"additional":[],"notes":[],"variantMeanings":[]},"classifiers":[],"pos":["NOUN"],"frequency":null,"grammar":[],"spokenPhonetic":null},"otherReadings":[],"examples":[],"carriedReadings":[],"constructions":[],"status":null,"due":null,"reps":null,"lapses":null,"lastReview":null,"senses":[],"origins":[{"literal":"notch the boat in search of the sword","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":{"simplified":"From a story in Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals","traditional":null}}],"examples":[{"text":{"simplified":"楚人有涉江者，其剑自舟中坠于水。遽契其舟，曰：是吾剑之所从坠。舟止，从其所契者入水求之。舟已行矣，而剑不行。求剑若此，不亦惑乎。","traditional":"楚人有涉江者，其劍自舟中墜於水。遽契其舟，曰：是吾劍之所從墜。舟止，從其所契者入水求之。舟已行矣，而劍不行。求劍若此，不亦惑乎。"},"phonetic":"Chǔ rén yǒu shè jiāng zhě, qí jiàn zì zhōu zhōng zhuì yú shuǐ. Jù qì qí zhōu, yuē: shì wú jiàn zhī suǒ cóng zhuì. Zhōu zhǐ, cóng qí suǒ qì zhě rù shuǐ qiú zhī. Zhōu yǐ xíng yǐ, ér jiàn bù xíng. Qiú jiàn ruò cǐ, bù yì huò hū.","english":"There was a man from the state of Chu who was crossing a river. His sword fell from the boat into the river. He quickly made a notch on the boat saying, \"This is the place where my sword fell in. When the boat stops, I will go into the water and search for my sword from the spot where I made the notch.\" The boat was already moving, but the sword had not moved. Is it not stupid to search for the sword in this manner?","ref":"Lü Buwei, Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals, 239 BCE"}],"senseScoped":false}],"decks":[{"id":7,"sourceName":"HSK 3.0","name":"Levels 7-9"},{"id":27,"sourceName":"Chengyu","name":"Chengyu"}],"vocabularyScale":null,"vocabularyLevel":null}}