🐍 画蛇添足 huà shé tiān zú – Ruin the Perfect by Adding Too Much

🔍 What It Means

画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) literally means “draw a snake and add feet.” 

It describes doing something unnecessary that ruins the original good result. 

In English, we might say “gild the lily” or “overdo it.”

🏺 Where It Comes From

This idiom comes from an ancient Chinese story.

A few people were drinking wine. There was only one cup left. To decide who should get it, they agreed to play a game: draw a snake on the ground. Whoever finished first would get the wine.

One man finished quickly. While the others were still drawing, he added some feet to his snake. He thought he had time. But the others said: “Snakes don’t have feet!”

So, he lost the wine. 🍷

📚 How to Use It

Use 画蛇添足 when someone does something extra that ruins a good thing.

• ❌ It’s usually negative.

• 🗣 Often used to give advice: “Don’t overdo it.”

🎯 Real Examples

• 这个报告写得很好，你就别画蛇添足了。

• Zhège bàogào xiě de hěn hǎo, nǐ jiù bié huà shé tiān zú le.
• → This report is already great. Don’t ruin it by adding more.

• 我只是想帮忙，没想到会变成画蛇添足。

• Wǒ zhǐ shì xiǎng bāngmáng, méi xiǎngdào huì biànchéng huà shé tiān zú.
• → I just wanted to help, but I didn’t expect it to make things worse.

⚠️ Common Mistakes (Watch Out!)

• ❌ Mistake: Using this idiom to describe something positive.

• ✅ Remember: It always means “you did too much and made it worse.” Not “you added something helpful.”

💡 Memory Tip

Picture a person drawing a snake… then giving it legs! 🐍👣

It becomes silly and wrong. This image helps you remember: don’t add what doesn’t belong.

✍🏻 Interactive Practice

Translate this sentence into English:

• 这个网页已经很漂亮了，别再画蛇添足。

Answer:

• This webpage is already beautiful. Don’t ruin it by adding unnecessary things.

💡 This sentence illustrates how adding unnecessary elements can detract from something already complete.

🌟 Final Thoughts

画蛇添足 is a fun idiom with a clear message: sometimes, less is more.

Next time you’re about to add “just one more thing,” think of the man who gave a snake legs. 🐍

Keep learning Chinese one idiom at a time — you’ll sound more natural and confident every day!

👉 Stay tuned for the next idiom in this blog series!