Chinese word dictionary

刻舟求剑

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

Practice word

Word information

Simplified刻舟求剑

Traditional刻舟求劍

Pinyinkèzhōu-qiújiàn

Part of speechGeneral

HSK 3.07-9

HSK 2.0Not listed

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

刻kè

to carve, to engrave; a quarter hour; a moment

舟zhōu

boat, ship

求qiú

to seek; to request, to demand; to beseech, to beg for

剑jiàn

sword, dagger, saber

How to learn 刻舟求剑

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.

Related vocabulary

Words with the same characters

Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.

刻kè

quarter (hour); moment; to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressive; classifier for short time intervals

要求yāoqiú

to request; to require; requirement; to stake a claim; to ask; to demand; CL:點|点[dian3]

立刻lìkè

immediately; at once; right away

请求qǐngqiú

to request; to ask; request (CL:個|个[ge4])

深刻shēnkè

profound; deep; deep-going

时刻shíkè

time; juncture; moment; period of time; CL:個|个[ge4],段[duan4]; constantly; always