Idiom Story — 画蛇添足

The Story

During the Warring States period, there was a family in the state of Chu performing an ancestral ritual. They had only one pot of wine, which wasn’t enough to share among everyone present.

So, someone suggested: “Let’s have a contest to draw a snake. Whoever finishes first gets to drink the wine.” One man drew very quickly and finished his snake in no time. Seeing that the others were still drawing, he smugly said, “I’ve got extra time — I’ll add a few feet to my snake!”

But just as he finished adding the feet, another person completed their snake drawing. Everyone said: “A snake doesn’t have feet — what you drew isn’t a snake!” As a result, the man who finished first ended up losing the wine.

This story teaches us that sometimes, something is already well done — but adding unnecessary elements can ruin it. In trying to do more, you might end up with less.

Deeper Lessons

"画蛇添足" is not just about avoiding unnecessary actions. It also reminds us of a few deeper lessons:

  • Know when to stop.
  • Simplicity often has more power than complexity.
  • Sometimes, restraint and “leaving space” is a form of wisdom.

This idiom is still widely used today — in the workplace, in writing, in design — as a classic warning against overdoing things.

Recap

  • Idiom: 画蛇添足
  • Pinyin: huà shé tiān zú
  • Literal meaning: Drawing a snake and adding feet
  • Figurative meaning: Doing something unnecessary that ends up ruining the original; overdoing it and making things worse.

I hope today’s idiom story was useful. See you next time for more learning, sharing, and discussion!