Chinese characters and pinyin
Simplified: 画蛇添足
Traditional: 畫蛇添足
Pinyin: huà shé tiān zú
Literal translation
Draw a snake and add feet.
Natural English meaning
An unnecessary addition can spoil something that was already complete.
Closest English equivalent
Gild the lily.
Both criticize needless embellishment; the Chinese story makes the addition plainly absurd.
When to use it
Use it when extra explanation, decoration, or work harms a finished result.
When not to use it
Do not use it to reject useful refinement merely because it is additional.
Example sentence
这个结尾已经很好，再解释一段反而画蛇添足。
The ending already works; another explanation would only gild the lily.
Origin and cultural context
From a story in the Strategies of the Warring States about a drawing contest and a cup of wine.
Classification: idiom. This label distinguishes a complete proverb or popular saying from a compact idiom or a quotation preserved from a classical text.
