expression
not keeping up with the times; being unaware of change; clinging to outdated methods
Idiom from a classical Chinese story: a man drops his sword in a river, marks the boat, and later searches from the mark, ignoring that the boat has moved. Used to criticize rigid thinking that ignores changing circumstances.
昔の成功体験にこだわるのは、剣を落として舟を刻むようなものだ。
Clinging to past successes is like dropping one's sword and carving the boat.
市場の変化を無視して同じ戦略を続けるのは、まさに剣を落として舟を刻む行為だ。
Continuing the same strategy while ignoring market changes is exactly an act of dropping one's sword and carving the boat.
Another classical idiom about stubbornly sticking to old ways, literally 'guarding a tree stump waiting for a hare'. 剣を落として舟を刻む emphasizes ignoring changing conditions, while 守株 emphasizes passive waiting for a past lucky event to repeat.
From a story in the ancient Chinese text 'Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals' (呂氏春秋). A man drops his sword into a river, carves a mark on the boat to remember the spot, and later searches from the mark, forgetting the boat has moved. The idiom is used metaphorically to criticize those who fail to adapt to changing circumstances.