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huà 画 shé 蛇 tiān 添 zú 足

画蛇添足 huà shé tiān zú

to ruin something by adding what is superfluous; to gild the lily

Literally: draw snake add feet

Intermediate 🐉 Animals & fables
🃏 Practise intermediate chengyu

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Origin

From the Zhanguo Ce: servants raced to draw a snake for a jug of wine; the first to finish added feet, so another declared the drawing was no longer a snake and drank the wine.

How to use it

Predicate or attributive; mildly critical. Often 别画蛇添足了.

Example sentences

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  1. 这段话已经很清楚了，再解释就是画蛇添足。
    Zhè duàn huà yǐjīng hěn qīngchu le, zài jiěshì jiù shì huà shé tiān zú.
    This passage is already clear; explaining further would be gilding the lily.
    this (measure) speech already very clear (particle), again explain then is draw snake add feet
  2. 这幅画很好看，你别再加东西了，小心画蛇添足。
    Zhè fú huà hěn hǎokàn, nǐ bié zài jiā dōngxi le, xiǎoxīn huà shé tiān zú.
    The painting looks great; don't add anything else or you'll spoil it.
    this (measure) painting very good-looking, you don't again add thing (particle), careful draw snake add feet

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