画蛇添足

畫蛇添足
huàshé-tiānzú
idiom HSK 7-9 #33,667

Meanings

  1. 1 to draw legs on a snake (idiom)
  2. 2 to ruin something by adding something superfluous
  3. 3 to overdo it

Examples

HSK 4
Nǐ de wénzhāng yǐjīng hěn hǎo le, bié huàshé-tiānzú.
Your essay is already good, don't overdo it.
HSK 7-9
Zhège shèjì jiǎnjié dàfāng, zài jiā zhuāngshì jiùshì huàshé-tiānzú le.
This design is simple and elegant; adding more decoration would be gilding the lily.

Tips

history
From a Warring States story: after a drinking contest where the first to finish drawing a snake wins the wine, one man finished early and arrogantly added legs - only to lose because snakes don't have legs.
usage
Used to warn against unnecessary additions that spoil something already complete. Often appears as 别画蛇添足 (don't overdo it).

Stroke Order

画 huà
蛇 shé
添 tiān
足 zú