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Thread: Chinese idioms learning (2)

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[quote=ZOEY,257769]Here are today's two idioms: 画蛇添足 (Hua 4 She 2 Tian 1 Zu 2) and 滥竽充数 (Lan 4 Yu 2 Chong 1 Shu ).

No.1 画蛇添足 (Hua 4 She 2 Tian 1 Zu 2). In English, it refers to "Draw a snake and add feet to it----to ruin the effect of something by adding something superfluous."

History: An official in ancient state of Chu gave a bottle of wine to those men who came to help him after Spring Sacrifice Ceremony. One man said:" There is only one bottle of wine and it is not enough for us but for a person to drhink. Let's have a drawing competition: the one who first finish drawing a snake will get the bottle of wine." Other men agreed on his suggestion.

A man finished drawing the snake. When taking the wine, he saw others had not finished yet. He said;" You see, I am the first who has finished drawing the snake and you haven't finished it yet. I still have time to add feet to the snake." Then he started adding feet to the snake. However, another man finished drawing the snake and seized the wine from his hands. He said:" Do you ever see a snake with feet? The snake doesn't have feet at all." Then he started drinking the wine. The man who first finished drawing the snake felt regretful for adding feet to the snake.

Can you understand it clearly? What does it tell us?

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