Adding Feet to a Snake

画蛇添足

One day， Mr. Lion holds a party. Many animals come and drink a lot of wine.

一天，狮子先生举行一场聚会，许多动物都来了，他们喝很多酒。

At last there is a pot of wine. Who can drink it?

最后只剩一壶酒了。让谁喝呢?

They drink out an idea and decide to have a match-Draw a snake.If you finish first， you can get it.

它们想了想，有了一个主意。它们比赛画蛇，谁最快画好，谁就喝这壶酒。

Soon Mr.Wolf finishes drawing.

不一会，狼先生画好了。

“Yeah， I‘ve finished. I’m No.1，” he says.

“哈，我画好了，我是第一个。”它说。

But he draws again and says， “Oh， let me add feet and my snake.”

可是它又画了起来，它还说：“再给它加几只脚吧。”

At the time， Mr. Gorilla also finishes.

这时猩猩先生也画好了。

He takes away the pot of wine and drinks， then he says， “That isn‘t a snake. Snakes have no feet. I get the wine.

“它拿起那酒壶喝起来。一边喝一边说：“那不是蛇，蛇是没有脚的，我赢了这壶酒。”

In the Warring States Period (zhàn guó 战国，475-221BC)， a man in the State of Chu (chǔ guǒ楚国) was offering a sacrifice to his ancestors.

战国时代有个楚国人祭他的祖先。

After the ceremony， the man gave a beaker of wine to his servants.

仪式结束后，他拿出一壶酒赏给手下的几个人。

The servants thought that there was not enough wine for all them， and decided to each draw a picture of a snake; the one who finished the picture first would get the wine. One of them drew very rapidly.Seeing that the others were still busy drawing， he added feet to the snake.

大家商量说： “我们都来画蛇，谁先画好谁就喝这壶酒。”其中有一个人先画好 了。但他看到同伴还没有画完，就又给蛇添上了脚。

At this moment another man finished， snatched the beaker and drank the wine， saying， ’A snake doesn‘t have feet. How can you add feet to a snake?

这时，另一个人也画好了，夺过酒壶吧酒喝了，并且说：“蛇本来是没有脚的，你怎么能给它添上脚呢?”

This idiom refers to ruining a venture by doing unnecessary and surplus things.

“画蛇添足”这个成语比喻做了多余而不恰当的事，反而把事情弄糟了。