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Mythic Mandarin

Legs on a snake: the story behind an idiom

HSK 3 Unit 8: Festivals and stories · Lesson 3 of 7 · About 22 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can follow the story behind the idiom 画蛇添足, understand what it means, and use it in a sentence about doing too much.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Meaning

    What does 团圆 mean?

    1. to be reunited (as a family)
    2. red envelope (with money)
    3. to miss (someone)
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, to be reunited (as a family).

    团圆 (tuányuán) means to be reunited (as a family).

  2. Characters

    Which word means “Mid-Autumn Festival”?

    1. 中秋节
    2. 冬天
    3. 刮风
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 中秋节.

    “Mid-Autumn Festival” is 中秋节 (Zhōngqiūjié).

  3. Listening

    From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    夏天 xiàtiān

    1. about, concerning
    2. hot water
    3. summer
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, summer.

    You heard 夏天 (xiàtiān): summer.

New words

  • 蛇shésnake
  • 脚jiǎofoot
  • 比赛bǐsàicompetition, match, to compete
  • 酒jiǔwine, alcoholic drink
  • 赢yíngto win
  • 成语chéngyǔidiom (usually four characters)
  • 得到dédàoto get, to obtain

Idioms: 成语

成语 (chéngyǔ) are set phrases, usually four characters, and many come from old stories. Knowing the story makes the idiom easy to remember. 画蛇添足 is draw a snake, add feet.

  • 这个成语有一个很有意思的故事。

    Zhège chéngyǔ yǒu yí gè hěn yǒuyìsi de gùshi.

    This idiom has an interesting story.

谁…谁… is whoever … then that person …: 谁先画完，谁就喝酒, whoever finishes first drinks the wine.

  • 谁赢了，谁就得到这个礼物。

    Shéi yíng le, shéi jiù dédào zhège lǐwù.

    Whoever wins gets this present.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

Draw a snake, add feet

Professor Yang tells the class the story behind 画蛇添足. This is our own simple retelling.

Listen first

Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.

Helpful words: 古时候 gǔshíhou in ancient times; 壶 hú pot, jug; 另 lìng another; 画蛇添足 huà shé tiān zú to draw a snake and add feet (to ruin something by doing too much)

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What was the prize?

    1. a painting
    2. a jug of wine
    3. a snake
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, a jug of wine.

    有几个人得到了一壶酒.

  2. Listening

    Why did the fastest man lose?

    1. He added feet to his snake.
    2. He drew badly.
    3. He drank the wine too early.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, He added feet to his snake..

    再给蛇画几只脚.

  3. Listening

    What does 画蛇添足 mean?

    1. finishing first by working very fast
    2. winning a competition by drawing well
    3. doing something unnecessary that makes things worse
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, doing something unnecessary that makes things worse.

    做了不需要的事，结果更不好.

Show the text
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 古时候Gǔshíhou，有yǒu几jǐ个gè人rén得到dédào了le一yì壶hú酒jiǔ。

    In ancient times, a few people were given a jug of wine.

  2. 酒Jiǔ只有zhǐyǒu一yì壶hú，人rén很hěn多duō，怎么办zěnmebàn呢ne？

    There was only one jug and many people. What could they do?

  3. 一Yí个gè人rén说shuō：“我们wǒmen比赛bǐsài画huà蛇shé，谁shéi先xiān画huà完wán，谁shéi就jiù喝hē这zhè壶hú酒jiǔ。”

    One said: "Let's have a snake-drawing contest. Whoever finishes first drinks the wine."

  4. 有Yǒu一yí个gè人rén画huà得de很hěn快kuài，他tā第dì一yī个gè画huà完wán了le。

    One man drew very fast and finished first.

  5. 他Tā看kàn别人biéren还hái没méi画huà完wán，就jiù说shuō：“我wǒ还hái有yǒu时间shíjiān，再zài给gěi蛇shé画huà几jǐ只zhī脚jiǎo！”

    Seeing the others hadn't finished, he said: "I've still got time. I'll give the snake some feet!"

  6. 他Tā还hái没méi画huà完wán脚jiǎo，另lìng一yí个gè人rén已经yǐjīng画huà好hǎo了le蛇shé。

    Before he finished the feet, another man had finished his snake.

  7. 那个Nàge人rén把bǎ酒jiǔ拿ná走zǒu了le，说shuō：“蛇shé没有méiyǒu脚jiǎo，你nǐ画huà的de不bú是shì蛇shé！”

    That man took the wine and said: "Snakes don't have feet. What you drew isn't a snake!"

  8. 所以Suǒyǐ“画蛇添足huà shé tiān zú”的de意思yìsi是shì：做zuò了le不bù需要xūyào的de事shì，结果jiéguǒ更gèng不bù好hǎo。

    So 画蛇添足 means doing something unnecessary that only makes things worse.

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 那个人把酒拿走了，说：“蛇没有脚，你画的不是蛇！”

    Nàge rén bǎ jiǔ ná zǒu le, shuō: “Shé méiyǒu jiǎo, nǐ huà de bú shì shé!”

    That man took the wine and said: "Snakes don't have feet. What you drew isn't a snake!"

  • 一个人说：“我们比赛画蛇，谁先画完，谁就喝这壶酒。”

    Yí gè rén shuō: “Wǒmen bǐsài huà shé, shéi xiān huà wán, shéi jiù hē zhè hú jiǔ.”

    One said: "Let's have a snake-drawing contest. Whoever finishes first drinks the wine."

  • 古时候，有几个人得到了一壶酒。

    Gǔshíhou, yǒu jǐ gè rén dédào le yì hú jiǔ.

    In ancient times, a few people were given a jug of wine.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 蛇 mean?

    1. nearby
    2. snake
    3. excited, thrilled
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, snake.

    蛇 (shé) means snake.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “foot”?

    1. 赢
    2. 河
    3. 脚
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 脚.

    “foot” is 脚 (jiǎo).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 比赛 (competition, match, to compete)?

    1. bīsài
    2. bǐsài
    3. bìsài
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, bǐsài.

    比赛 is read bǐsài. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    酒 jiǔ

    1. wine, alcoholic drink
    2. foreign country
    3. experience
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, wine, alcoholic drink.

    You heard 酒 (jiǔ): wine, alcoholic drink.

  5. Pinyin

    Type the pinyin of 赢 (to win). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.

    Show the answer

    Answer: yíng

    赢 is yíng in pinyin.

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    他看别人还没画完，就说：“我还有时间，再给蛇画几只脚！” Tā kàn biéren hái méi huà wán, jiù shuō: “Wǒ hái yǒu shíjiān, zài gěi shé huà jǐ zhī jiǎo!”

    1. Seeing the others hadn't finished, he said: "I've still got time. I'll give the snake some feet!"
    2. So 画蛇添足 means doing something unnecessary that only makes things worse.
    3. One man drew very fast and finished first.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, Seeing the others hadn't finished, he said: "I've still got time. I'll give the snake some feet!".

    You heard 他看别人还没画完，就说：“我还有时间，再给蛇画几只脚！” (Tā kàn biéren hái méi huà wán, jiù shuō: “Wǒ hái yǒu shíjiān, zài gěi shé huà jǐ zhī jiǎo!”): Seeing the others hadn't finished, he said: "I've still got time. I'll give the snake some feet!"

  7. Reading

    Read: 我的作业已经很好了，可是我又加了很多东西，结果老师说太长了。这真是画蛇添足！ Why is it 画蛇添足?

    1. The homework was too short.
    2. The teacher didn't read it.
    3. Adding more made good homework worse.
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, Adding more made good homework worse..

    又加了很多东西，结果…太长了: adding more made it worse.

  8. Grammar

    Which sentence means Whoever wins gets the prize?

    1. 谁赢了，就谁得到礼物。
    2. 赢了谁，谁得到就礼物。
    3. 谁赢了，谁就得到礼物。
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 谁赢了，谁就得到礼物。.

    谁赢了，谁就得到礼物。: 谁…谁就…: whoever … then that person.

  9. In context

    A friend's dish is perfect, but she wants to add more salt. What idiom fits?

    1. 一边一边
    2. 画蛇添足
    3. 越来越
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 画蛇添足.

    画蛇添足: doing too much spoils it.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for idiom

    Show the answer

    Answer: 成语

    成语: idiom.

Tell the story

Retell the story of 画蛇添足 out loud, then give one example from your own life when someone did too much.

  1. The contest and the prize.
  2. What the fastest man did and what happened.
  3. Your own example, ending with 这真是画蛇添足！

Sentence frames

  • 谁先＿＿，谁就＿＿。

    Shéi xiān ＿＿, shéi jiù ＿＿.

    Whoever ... first gets to ...

  • 这真是画蛇添足！

    Zhè zhēnshi huà shé tiān zú!

    That really was drawing feet on a snake!

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I can retell the story behind 画蛇添足.
  • I can use 谁…谁… for whoever.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next lesson: An afternoon in a teahouse