刻舟求剑 kè zhōu qiú jiàn

DEFINITIONS

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

CHARACTERS

刻 kè
HSK 3
carve, engrave; quarter hour
舟 zhōu
HSK 6
boat, ship; KangXi radical 137
求 qiú
HSK 3
seek; demand, request; beseech
剑 jiàn
HSK 6
sword, dagger, saber