What does 画蛇添足 mean?

画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) literally means 'draw a snake and add feet.' It describes spoiling something by adding what isn't needed, especially to a job that was already finished.

Where does the idiom Drawing Legs on a Snake come from?

It comes from the Strategies of the Warring States (Zhanguo ce), a collection of political stories compiled by the Han scholar Liu Xiang in the first century BCE. In the Qi section, the envoy Chen Zhen tells it to the Chu general Zhao Yang, who then calls off his attack on Qi.

What is the moral of Drawing Legs on a Snake?

Know when to stop. Once you have reached your goal, adding unnecessary extras to show off can spoil the result and cost you what you already had.

Is there an English idiom like 画蛇添足?

The closest are 'to gild the lily', meaning to spoil something already fine by adding more, and 'to leave well enough alone', which gives the same advice.

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Chinese idiom · 声匠改编 · 3:55

Drawing Legs on a Snake

Servants race to draw a snake for a cup of wine. Ah Fu finishes first, then adds legs and loses it all. The story behind the idiom hua she tian zu.

Narrator

Chen Zhen

General Zhao Yang

Ah Fu

Ah Shun

The Old Servant

0:000:00

Other languages · 2 languages

🇨🇳 中文 🇺🇸 English

About this story

Drawing Legs on a Snake tells the story behind the Chinese idiom 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú), which literally means 'draw a snake, add feet.' It comes from the Strategies of the Warring States (Zhanguo ce), in the Strategies of Qi, where the envoy Chen Zhen tells it to the Chu general Zhao Yang to talk him out of attacking Qi after his victory over Wei. This version keeps that frame story and turns the snake-drawing contest into a funny little play.

What it teaches

When a job is done, stop. Adding extra flourishes just to show off can spoil the result and lose you what you had already won.

Suits

Ages 6 and up

Tips for telling it

Slow down as Ah Fu starts adding legs and let your child guess what will happen next.
Ask: does a snake have legs? Ah Fu finished first, so why did he lose?
Older children can talk about the frame story: why would an envoy tell a snake story to a general?

Questions people ask

What does 画蛇添足 mean?: 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) literally means 'draw a snake and add feet.' It describes spoiling something by adding what isn't needed, especially to a job that was already finished.
Where does the idiom Drawing Legs on a Snake come from?: It comes from the Strategies of the Warring States (Zhanguo ce), a collection of political stories compiled by the Han scholar Liu Xiang in the first century BCE. In the Qi section, the envoy Chen Zhen tells it to the Chu general Zhao Yang, who then calls off his attack on Qi.
What is the moral of Drawing Legs on a Snake?: Know when to stop. Once you have reached your goal, adding unnecessary extras to show off can spoil the result and cost you what you already had.
Is there an English idiom like 画蛇添足?: The closest are 'to gild the lily', meaning to spoil something already fine by adding more, and 'to leave well enough alone', which gives the same advice.