What does it mean if you are not confused about asking for a sword?

If you are looking for a sword, this means that you are looking for a sword in this way. Isn’t it very confusing?

The original sentence comes from "Lu's Spring and Autumn Period·Cha Jin" written by Lu Buwei during the Warring States Period. The original text is as follows:

There are people in Chu who cross the river. The sword fell from the boat into the water. He quickly signed a contract with his boat and said, "This is where my sword fell from." The boat stopped, and the person who signed the contract entered the water to find it. The boat has moved, but the sword cannot move. If you are looking for a sword like this, isn't it confusing?

The original meaning is this:

There was a man from the state of Chu who was crossing a river by boat. His sword fell from the boat into the water. He hurriedly marked the side of the boat with his knife and said, "This is the place where my sword fell." The boat stopped after it reached its destination, and the man followed the mark carved on the edge of the boat and went into the water to find the sword. The ship has traveled a long way, but the sword is still in its original place. Isn't it confusing to use this method to find the sword?

I have also sorted out the notes on the difficult points in the article to help you understand better:

(1) She: to pass, to cross.

(2) Person: The person of..., a sign of the attributive postposition.

(3) Its: His, pronoun.

(4) From: From.

(5) Fall: fall.

(6) Yu: in, to.

(7) Sudden: in a hurry, immediately.

(8) Deed: Tong "carve", carved with a knife, carved.

(9) is: demonstrative pronoun, this, this, here, like this.

(10) Me: Mine.

(11): The independence of the sentence between subject and predicate is cancelled.

(12) Falling from: The place where the sword fell. Fall: fall

(13) Qi: He, pronoun.

(14) Seek: find, find.

(15): sword, pronoun.

(16) Yes: Yes.

(17) And: However, it represents a turning point.

(18) If: like.

(19) This: like this.

(20) I’m confused: Isn’t it very confusing? Confused, stupid, confused. "Isn't it..." is a euphemistic rhetorical question.

(21) Stop: Stop, which means the ship has stopped.

"Cha Jin" expounds the principle that we should clearly observe the current situation, change laws according to the times, and not stick to ancient laws: from the perspective of development, we explain to the rulers of Qin that the formulation of legal systems should be based on the society at that time. Proceed from reality and keep pace with the times as the objective situation changes. The full text has neat sentences and a bright tone, with repeated statements around the center and conclusions. At the same time, it is interspersed with fables and stories, making the article full of momentum, lively and vivid.

Later generations extracted the idiom "carving a boat to seek a sword" from this article. The meaning contained in it is as follows:

A sword falling into the water will only sink to the bottom. This is common sense. After the boat has gone far, it is really stupid and ridiculous to still look for the sword under the boat that fell into the water long ago. If the ship is stationary and the sword sinks to the bottom of the water, it is possible to find the sword by carving a mark on the ship where the sword fell and following the mark into the water to look for the sword. Unfortunately, the sword sank to the bottom of the water and stopped moving, while the boat kept moving.

This objective fact is not reflected in the minds of people seeking swords. He thought that wherever the sword fell, he would look for it and he would find it. His understanding is inconsistent with objective facts, and the result will naturally be failure. It is very powerful to use such a metaphor to satirize people who cling to dogma.

This story contains two layers of truth:

The first is that if people’s ideological understanding does not conform to objective reality, they will not succeed in doing things.

The other level is that objective reality is constantly developing and changing. If we regard old rules and regulations as a magic weapon to solve new problems, it will be a joke. The author's thinking is simple materialism and dialectical thinking.