expression
not keeping up with the times; unaware that things are changing
A classical idiomatic expression from a fable in Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals. Used to criticize someone who clings to outdated methods or fails to recognize changing circumstances. Rare in modern conversation; mostly encountered in literary or proverbial contexts.
古い規則にこだわるのは舟に刻して剣を求むようなものだ。
Clinging to old rules is like carving a notch on the boat to find the sword.
彼のやり方は舟に刻して剣を求むに等しい。
His way of doing things is tantamount to not keeping up with the times.
Also a classical idiom meaning to stick to old ways without adapting, but from a different Chinese fable. 舟に刻して剣を求む emphasizes failing to recognize change, while 守株 emphasizes waiting passively for luck to repeat.
From a fable in Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals (呂氏春秋) about a man who dropped his sword from a boat and carved a mark on the boat to remember the spot, not realizing the boat had moved. The phrase is used metaphorically to criticize rigid adherence to outdated methods.