The Snake with Feet

Illustration for the Chinese story “The Snake with Feet”

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很久以前hěn jiǔ yǐ qián,有yǒu几个jǐ ge朋友péng you一起yī qǐ喝酒hē jiǔ。Long ago, some friends were drinking together.他们tā men决定jué dìng比赛bǐ sài画huà蛇shé。They decided to have a snake-drawing race.谁shéi先xiān画好huà hǎo,谁shéi就jiù喝hē一yī壶hú好hǎo酒jiǔ。Whoever finished first would drink a pot of good wine.

一个人yī gè rén很快hěn kuài就jiù画好huà hǎo了le。One man finished his drawing very quickly.他tā看kàn别人bié ren还没hái méi画完huà wán,很高兴hěn gāo xìng。He saw the others were not done yet, and he was very pleased.

他tā想xiǎng:“我wǒ再zài给gěi蛇shé画huà几jǐ只zhī脚jiǎo吧ba!”He thought, "Let me add a few feet to my snake!"

这时zhè shí,另一个人lìng yī gè rén也yě画好huà hǎo了le。Just then, another man finished his snake too.

他tā拿起ná qǐ酒jiǔ说shuō:“蛇shé没有méi yǒu脚jiǎo!你nǐ画错huà cuò了le!”He picked up the wine and said, "Snakes have no feet! You drew it wrong!"

第dì一个人yī gè rén输shū了le,没méi喝hē到dào酒jiǔ。The first man lost and didn't get to drink the wine.

这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“画蛇添足huà shé tiān zú”。This idiom is "drawing a snake and adding feet."意思yì si是shì:做了zuò le不用bù yòng做的zuò de事shì,结果jié guǒ更gèng不好bù hǎo。It means: you do something unneeded, and things turn out worse.小xiǎo美的měi dí画huà很hěn好看hǎo kàn,她tā又yòu加jiā了le很多hěn duō东西dōng xi,真是zhēn shi画蛇添足huà shé tiān zú。Xiao Mei's painting looked great, but she added lots more to it — truly drawing a snake and adding feet.

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