Mark the Boat to Find the Lost Sword 刻舟求剑

The Chinese proverb ‘Mark the Boat to Find the Lost Boat’ is always used to describe a person does not change his strategy even when the circumstances change. The term is used to mock those who are sticklers for adhering to old models. It comes from the following story which dates back to the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC).

“Once upon a time, a man from Chu state, who was crossing the river by boat, dropped his sword to the river. He marked the boat where the sword dropped, and he said, ‘This is where I drop my sword.’

When the boat stopped at the opposite bank, the man undressed himself immediately and dove into the water for his sword from the very place where he had made the mark.

The boat had moved a great distance since he made the mark, and the dropped sword did not move an inch. Isn’t foolish to find the dropped sword by making a mark on a moving boat?”

The central lesson behind this saying is the need to understand what is relevant to the situation, and then do it at the right place and at the right time. If one does not understand the situation, then one may not take action even if it is needed. Alternatively, we may take the wrong action. Sometimes, like the man in the story, we may see the situation correctly at that point, but delay in doing the right thing to tackle the challenge thinking that we can always do it later. But with a change of timing, a right action may become utterly useless.

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成语‘刻舟求剑’一般用来形容一个人死守旧策略不变，虽然情况已经改变，用来嘲笑那些墨守陈规的人。故事发生于春秋时代（公元前770年至476年）（战国•吕不韦《吕氏春秋•察今》）：

“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？”

这句话的要点是我们应该认清适当情况，在适当时机作适当的事。如果一个人不认清情况，在需要时就可能不会行动。相反地，我们还可能作出错误的行动。正如这个故事里人，有时候我们所做的在某个时刻可能是对的，可是把所要处理的挑战的时机给耽误了，以为可以延后处理，随着时间的改变，一个本来正确的行动可能会变成完全无用。