Beyond Translations

成语

Chéng yǔ

Idioms

Idioms are phrases and expressions that have figurative meanings that differ from the literal meanings of the words. Understanding idioms is instrumental to mastering a language as it allows you to speak with more nuance and have a better understanding of the culture of the language you are learning. Mandarin consists of thousands of these 成语, and each phrase has its own story, that reveals a key element of Chinese culture. 

Beyond Translations will introduce a new idiom each week as part of our mission to create better cultural understanding. 

画蛇添足

Huà shé tiān zú

“To draw a snake and add feet.”

The figurative meaning of this idiom is to overdo something, add unnecessary details, or ruin something by trying to improve it. The idiom originated during The Warring States period, when China was decentralized into seven separate states, which were constantly at war with each other. The story goes that one day a group of men found a pot of wine, but there was not enough for everyone to share. They decided to have a competition, and the winner would be given the wine. The competition would be the first one to draw a snake on the ground. They all began, but soon one of the men was finished well before the others were. The man saw that the others were still working, so he decided he wanted to show off. He added more details to the snake, and eventually he added feet. Before he was finished with the addition, another man finished and claimed the pot of wine. When the man who had finished first confronted the other one, the second man said “snakes don’t have feet, so you didn’t draw a snake”. When the first man tried to add unnecessary details, he went too far, and lost his reward. 

Today, the phrase is commonly used to warn someone who is editing their writing too much, or when someone is saying too much that it ends up weakening their argument.