刻舟求剑 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn): lit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard ; fig. an action made pointless by changed circumstances
刻舟求剑
lit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard ; fig. an action made pointless by changed circumstances
A man dropped his sword overboard and notched the boat to mark the spot. For clinging to a method after the situation has moved on.