Daily Chengyu

画蛇添足

huà shé tiān zú

To ruin something by adding unnecessary details.

Mistakes Work Wisdom Animals

beginnerVery CommonNeutral

Literal Meaning: Draw a snake and add feet.

画huàto draw

蛇shésnake

添tiānto add

足zúfeet

Today's Situation

You keep changing a design that was already finished, and the new changes make it worse.

Perfect Chengyu: 画蛇添足

Actual Meaning

Use this when someone spoils a good result by overdoing it — adding extra steps, features, or details that were not needed and actually make things worse. It often carries a mildly critical or humorous tone, as if watching someone try too hard after the job was already done.

Emotional toneMildly critical, often humorous

Usage feelOften negative or critical

FormalityNeutral

English Equivalent

Don't overdo it.
Leave well enough alone.
Less is more.
Gilding the lily.

English equivalents capture the general idea, but they may not fit every context exactly.

Modern Usage Example

Your presentation was already strong. Adding five more slides would just be 画蛇添足.

Chinese Example Sentences

Nǐ yǐjīng xiě de hěn hǎo le, bié zài huà shé tiān zú le.

You have already written it very well. Don't ruin it by adding unnecessary details.

Giving feedback on writing

Zhège logo běnlái hěn jiǎnjié, jiā tài duō zhuāngshì fǎn'ér huà shé tiān zú.

The logo was already clean; adding too much decoration was overkill.

Design critique

Origin Story

After a drinking contest in ancient Chu, the winner who finished his snake first started adding feet to it — but snakes have no feet. By the time he was done, another man had finished a proper snake and claimed the prize.

Warring States periodStrategies of the Warring States (战国策)

When Natives Use It

Good fit

Work — when a project is done and extra edits hurt quality
Design — simplifying is better than over-decorating
Writing — cutting redundant paragraphs
Everyday conversation — teasing a friend who over-plans

Avoid

Praising someone's thoroughness
Describing necessary safety improvements
Formal praise in speeches

Common in both speech and writing. Sounds natural among colleagues and friends. Can feel slightly teasing, so soften your tone if the listener might be sensitive. Not rude on its own, but context matters.