The Sword in the River

Illustration for the Chinese story “The Sword in the River”

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从前cóng qián,有yǒu一个人yī gè rén坐zuò船chuán过河guò hé。Long ago, a man crossed a river by boat.他的tā de剑jiàn掉diào到dào水里shuǐ lǐ了le。His sword fell into the water.

他tā一点yī diǎn也yě不bù着急zháo jí。He was not worried at all.他tā在zài船chuán边biān画huà了le一个yī ge记号jì hao。He made a mark on the side of the boat.他说tā shuō:“剑jiàn是shì从cóng这里zhè lǐ掉diào下去xià qù的de。”He said, "This is where the sword fell in."

船chuán到了dào liǎo河hé的de那边nà bian。The boat reached the other side of the river.他tā从cóng记号jì hao那里nà li跳进tiào jìn水里shuǐ lǐ找zhǎo剑jiàn。He jumped into the water at the mark to look for the sword.可是kě shì他tā怎么zěn me找zhǎo也yě找不到zhǎo bù dào。But no matter how he looked, he could not find it.

别人bié ren笑xiào他tā:“船chuán走了zǒu le,剑jiàn没有méi yǒu走zǒu啊ā!”People laughed at him: "The boat moved, but the sword didn't!"

这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“刻舟求剑kè zhōu qiú jiàn”。This idiom is "marking the boat to find the sword."意思yì si是shì:事情shì qing变biàn了le,方法fāng fǎ也yě要yào变biàn。It means: when things change, your way of doing things must change too.例句lì jù:不要bù yào刻舟求剑kè zhōu qiú jiàn,要yào想xiǎng新的xīn de办法bàn fǎ。Example: Don't mark the boat to find the sword — think of a new way.

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