画蛇添足huà shé tiān zú
HSK Level 6HSK Level 7-93.0
draw a snake and add feet to it

Animated Stroke Order

Stroke order SVGs for the characters in 画蛇添足.
画 stroke order svg
蛇 stroke order svg
添 stroke order svg
足 stroke order svg

Practice writing 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) with our free printable handwriting worksheet

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Character Breakdown

画蛇添足 consists of 4 characters.
huà
画
to draw; to paint; a picture; a painting
shé
蛇
snake
tiān
添
to add, increase, or append
zú
足
foot, leg, or sufficient

How to Use 画蛇添足 in Sentences

Common collocations & usage patterns. Learn how to combine 画蛇添足 with other words naturally.
Verb + Idiomwith显得
xiǎn显
dé得
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
neutral
seem superfluous
Adverb + Idiomwith不要
bù不
yào要
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
neutralSpoken
don't overdo it
Idiom + Noun
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
de的
gù故
shì事
neutral
the story of drawing legs on a snake
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
de的
zuò做
fǎ法
formalWritten
the practice of overdoing things

Example Sentences with 画蛇添足

tā他
yǐ已
jīng经
huà画
hǎo好
le了
shé蛇
，
què却
yòu又
jiā加
shàng上
le了
jiǎo脚
，
zhēn真
shì是
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
。
He had already drawn a snake, but then added feet to it, which was truly drawing legs on a snake.
nǐ你
jiě解
shì释
dé得
yǐ已
jīng经
hěn很
qīng清
chǔ楚
le了
，
zài再
bǔ补
chōng充
xì细
jié节
fǎn反
ér而
xiǎn显
de得
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
。
Your explanation is already very clear; adding more details would be like drawing a snake and adding feet to it.
zhè这
fèn份
bào报
gào告
de的
shù数
jù据
fēn分
xī析
shì是
fǒu否
yǒu有
xiē些
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
，
fǎn反
ér而
mó模
hu糊
le了
hé核
xīn心
jié结
lùn论
？
Does the data analysis in this report seem somewhat like drawing a snake and adding feet, thereby obscuring the core conclusion?
zhè这
ge个
jì计
huà划
yǐ已
jīng经
hěn很
wán完
měi美
le了
，
nǐ你
zài再
xiū修
gǎi改
fǎn反
ér而
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
。
This plan is already perfect; your further modifications would be like drawing legs on a snake.
zài在
xié协
yì议
zhōng中
zēng增
jiā加
zhè这
xiàng项
rǒng冗
yú余
tiáo条
kuǎn款
，
wú无
yí疑
shì是
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
zhī之
jǔ举
。
Adding this redundant clause to the agreement is undoubtedly an act of drawing a snake and adding feet to it.
zhè这
dào道
cài菜
de的
yuán原
wèi味
jiù就
hěn很
xiān鲜
měi美
，
nǐ你
jiā加
le了
tài太
duō多
tiáo调
liào料
，
jiǎn简
zhí直
shì是
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
。
The original flavor of this dish is already delicious; adding so many seasonings is simply like drawing a snake and adding feet.
zài在
yǎn演
jiǎng讲
zhōng中
，
tā他
běn本
lái来
kě可
yǐ以
jiǎn简
jié洁
dì地
jié结
shù束
，
què却
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
dì地
jiā加
le了
yī一
duàn段
wú无
guān关
de的
nèi内
róng容
。
In his speech, he could have ended concisely, but he unnecessarily added an irrelevant section, like drawing legs on a snake.
tā他
běn本
xiǎng想
yōu优
huà化
shè设
jì计
，
què却
yīn因
guò过
dù度
xiū修
shì饰
ér而
huà画
shé蛇
tiān添
zú足
，
pò破
huài坏
le了
zhěng整
tǐ体
měi美
gǎn感
。
He intended to optimize the design, but due to excessive decoration, it became like drawing a snake and adding feet, ruining the overall aesthetic.