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Drawing Legs on a Snake

画蛇添足
Year
-100
Views
2

Synopsis

A famous Chinese idiom about someone who added feet to a snake he had already drawn, losing his prize.

Meaning

Hua She Tian Zu literally means drawing a snake and adding feet. It criticizes doing unnecessary things that ruin what was already good.

The Story

Several men competed to draw a snake. One man finished first but arrogantly added feet to his snake. While he was doing this, another man finished and claimed the wine, saying snakes do not have feet.

Facts

Item Details
Pinyin hua she tian zu
Source Zhan Guo Ce

References

  1. Zhan Guo Ce
  2. Dictionary of Chinese Idioms

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