画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) — Drawing Legs on a Snake
Ruining something by adding unnecessary extras
Category: Chengyu (Idioms)
The Rule
画蛇添足 literally means 'draw snake, add feet'. It means to ruin something by adding unnecessary embellishments. The thing was already complete/perfect, and the addition makes it worse. 画蛇 (draw a snake) + 添足 (add feet).
Why This Matters
The story: In a drinking contest, competitors had to draw a snake. One man finished first but added feet to his snake while waiting — and lost because snakes don't have feet, so his drawing was wrong. The moral: don't over-embellish what's already good. The closest English idiom is 'gilding the lily' or 'too much of a good thing'. Very useful for giving tactful criticism.
Examples
• 你的文章已经很好了，再加就是画蛇添足。 — "Your essay is already great — adding more would be gilding the lily." [Tactful way to say 'stop, it's already good'] • 这道菜本来很好吃，加了番茄酱就画蛇添足了。 — "This dish was already delicious — adding ketchup ruined it." [Food context — unnecessary condiment] • 解释太多反而画蛇添足。(Jiěshì tài duō fǎn'ér huà shé tiān zú.) — "Over-explaining actually makes things worse." [反而 (on the contrary) pairs well with this chengyu]
Common Mistakes
❌ Using it when something was bad to begin with ✅ 画蛇添足 requires the original to be GOOD — the addition ruins something already fine → If the original work was bad, adding more didn't 'ruin' it — it was already ruined. This chengyu is specifically about spoiling something good with excess. ❌ 画蛇添足 for simply making a mistake ✅ Use 犯错 (make a mistake) or 弄巧成拙 (try to be clever but end up clumsy) for general errors → 画蛇添足 specifically means the unnecessary ADDITION was the problem, not a general mistake.
Quick Tip
Use this when someone (including yourself) over-edits, over-decorates, or over-explains. It's gentle criticism: 'the original was fine!'
Use this when someone (including yourself) over-edits, over-decorates, or over-explains. It's gentle criticism: 'the original was fine!'
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: Using it when something was bad to begin with → Correct: 画蛇添足 requires the original to be GOOD — the addition ruins something already fine. If the original work was bad, adding more didn't 'ruin' it — it was already ruined. This chengyu is specifically about spoiling something good with excess.
Incorrect: 画蛇添足 for simply making a mistake → Correct: Use 犯错 (make a mistake) or 弄巧成拙 (try to be clever but end up clumsy) for general errors. 画蛇添足 specifically means the unnecessary ADDITION was the problem, not a general mistake.
Quiz
When would you use 画蛇添足?