画蛇添足，汉语成语，拼音是huà shé tiān zú，意思是画蛇时给蛇添上脚。比喻做事多此一举，不但无益，反而有害。出自《战国策·齐策二》。
To draw a snake to add feet is a Chinese idiom, pinyin is huà shé tiān zú, which means to add feet to a snake when drawing a snake. It is not only useless to do something redundantly, but it is harmful. From “Warring States Policy·Qi Ce II”.
古时候，楚国有一家人，祭完祖之后，准备将祭祀用的一壶酒，赏给帮忙办事的人喝。帮忙办事的人很多，这壶酒如果大家都喝是不够的，若是让一个人喝，那能喝得有余。这一壶酒到底怎么分呢？
大家都安静下来，这时有人建议：每个人在地上画一条蛇，谁画得快，这壶酒就归他喝。大家都认为这个方法好，都同意这样做。于是，在地上画起蛇来。
有个人画得很快，一转眼最先画好了，他就端起酒壶要喝酒。但是他回 头看看别人，还都没有画好呢。心里想：他们画得真慢。 他洋洋得意地说： “你们画得好慢啊！我再给蛇画几只脚也不算晚呢！”于是，他便左手提着酒壶，右手给蛇画起脚来。
正在他一边给蛇画脚，一边说话的时候，另外一个人已经画好了。那个人 马上把酒壶从他手里夺过去，说：”你见过蛇吗？蛇是没有脚的，你为什么要给它添上脚呢？所以第一个画好蛇的人不是你，而是我了！”
那个人说罢就仰起头来，咕咚咕咚把酒喝下去了。
楚有祠者，赐其舍人卮酒，舍人相谓曰：“数人饮之不足，一人饮之有余，请画地为蛇，先成者饮酒。”一人蛇先成，引酒且饮之，乃左手持卮，右手画蛇曰：“吾能为之足。”未成，一人之蛇成，夺其卮曰：‘蛇固无足，子安能为之足？’遂饮其酒。为蛇足者，终亡其酒。
In ancient times, there was a family in the Chu country. After offering sacrifices to the ancestors, they prepared to give a pot of wine for the sacrifice to the people who helped them. There are many people who help with affairs. If everyone drinks this pot of wine, it is not enough. If it is allowed to be drunk by one person, it will be more than enough. How is this pot of wine divided?
Everyone calmed down. At this time, someone suggested: Everyone draws a snake on the ground, and whoever draws it fast, the pot of wine is for him to drink. Everyone thinks this method is good, and they all agree to do so. So, a snake was drawn on the ground.
Someone drew very fast, and in a blink of an eye he painted first, and he picked up the jug to drink. But when he looked back at others, he hadn’t painted it yet. I thought to myself: They paint really slowly. He triumphantly said: “You are so slow to draw! It’s not too late for me to draw a few feet for the snake!” So, he held a hip flask in his left hand and started drawing the snake’s feet with his right hand.
While he was drawing the snake’s feet while talking, another person had already drawn it. The man immediately snatched the flask from his hand and said, “Have you seen a snake? A snake has no feet. Why do you want to add feet to it? So the first person to paint a snake is not you, but Me!”
The man raised his head and drank the wine.
Those who have temples in Chu give them wine to give to their people. The people who don’t want to drink are said: “If a few people are not enough to drink, one person has more than one drink. Please paint the ground as a snake. The first person to drink alcohol.” One person will become a snake, attract wine and drink. To drink, it is the left hand holding the 卮, the right hand drawing the snake and saying: “I can be the foot.” If it is not, a snake becomes a person, and the snake is taken away and said: “The snake is solid and has no feet, and Zi’an can be the foot? ’Then he drank his wine. Those who are snake-footed will eventually die of their wine.
