,

Long ago, there was a man from the State of Chu who loved his sword very much. O
ne day, he was sitting in his boat preparing to cross a river, when he accidenta
lly dropped his sword into the water. He immediately made a notch on the side of
the boat at the place where his dear sword fell. When he returned close to shor
e, he re-entered the water just beneath the notch he made, looking for his sword
. Naturally, he wasnt able to find it.
The sword was already gone because the boat and the river were in motion. This i
diom is used to describe a person who sticks to rigid rules without considering
a changing environment [or describes an action made pointless by changing circum
stances].