The servants realized the wine was too little to share but too much for one person. They decided to hold a contest: whoever could draw a snake on the ground first would win the wine.

One servant finished his snake quickly and reached for the wine. But feeling confident, he decided to show off by adding feet to his snake while waiting for the others.

Before he could finish the feet, another servant completed his snake and grabbed the wine cup. He said, "Snakes don't have feet! How can you add feet to a snake?" He then drank all the wine.

The first servant, who had already won but ruined his victory by adding unnecessary details, lost everything.

Original Classical Chinese

楚有祠者，赐其舍人卮酒。舍人相谓曰："数人饮之不足，一人饮之有余。请画地为蛇，先成者饮酒。"一人蛇先成，引酒且饮之，乃左手持卮，右手画蛇曰："吾能为之足。"未成，一人之蛇成，夺其卮曰："蛇固无足，子安能为之足？"遂饮其酒。为蛇足者，终亡其酒。

How to Use 画蛇添足

This idiom is used to describe situations where someone ruins a good result by adding unnecessary elements or overdoing something that was already complete.

It warns against the tendency to over-embellish or make unnecessary additions that end up being counterproductive.

The idiom is often used as a gentle criticism when someone's extra efforts backfire.

When to use:

Use when someone adds unnecessary details to something already complete
Often used as constructive criticism in creative or professional contexts
Can be used self-deprecatingly when you realize you've overdone something

Common Mistake

Don't use this idiom for simple mistakes or errors. It specifically refers to ruining something good by unnecessary additions, not general failures.

Example Sentences

你的文章已经很好了，再加这段就是画蛇添足。

Nǐ de wénzhāng yǐjīng hěn hǎo le, zài jiā zhè duàn jiùshì huà shé tiān zú.

Your essay is already great. Adding this paragraph would be overdoing it.

这道菜本来很美味，加了这个酱料反而画蛇添足。

Zhè dào cài běnlái hěn měiwèi, jiā le zhège jiàngliào fǎn'ér huà shé tiān zú.

This dish was delicious on its own. Adding this sauce just ruined it.

设计已经很简洁了，不要画蛇添足地加太多装饰。

Shèjì yǐjīng hěn jiǎnjié le, bùyào huà shé tiān zú de jiā tài duō zhuāngshì.

The design is already clean. Don't overdo it by adding too many decorations.

Practice Writing

Generate a free printable worksheet with all 4 characters from this idiom.

Generate Worksheet (4 Characters)

Or explore each character:

画stroke order 蛇stroke order 添stroke order 足stroke order

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) mean?

画蛇添足 literally means "to draw a snake and add feet." Figuratively, it means to ruin something by adding unnecessary details, or to overdo something that was already complete. It's similar to the English expression "to gild the lily."

What is the story behind 画蛇添足?

The idiom comes from a story in "Strategies of the Warring States" (战国策). Servants held a snake-drawing contest for a pot of wine. The first to finish decided to add feet to his snake while waiting, but another servant finished and took the wine, saying "Snakes don't have feet!" The over-confident servant lost his prize.

How do you use 画蛇添足 in a sentence?

Use 画蛇添足 when someone adds unnecessary elements that ruin a good result. For example: "你的设计已经很好了，不要画蛇添足" (Your design is already good, don't overdo it). It's often used as gentle criticism.

What is the opposite of 画蛇添足?

The opposite is 画龙点睛 (huà lóng diǎn jīng), meaning "to add the finishing touch" or "to add the eyes to a painted dragon." While 画蛇添足 describes unnecessary additions that ruin something, 画龙点睛 describes the perfect final touch that brings something to life.

Is 画蛇添足 difficult to learn?

画蛇添足 is considered a beginner-friendly idiom. It uses relatively common characters (画 HSK3, 蛇 HSK5, 添 HSK5, 足 HSK3), has a memorable story, and the meaning is straightforward. It's one of the most commonly taught Chinese idioms.

画蛇添足

Character-by-Character Breakdown

The Story Behind 画蛇添足

The Snake-Drawing Contest