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 · VoiceSmiths adaptation · 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

其他語言版本 · 2 種語言

🇨🇳 中文 🇺🇸 English

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關於這個故事

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.

故事告訴我們

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.

適合

Ages 6 and up

講給孩子聽的小貼士

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?

常見問題

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.