General Chinese

画蛇添足 (huàshétiānzú) Draw a Snake and Add Feet to it

Key Learning Points (Preview): 蛇 (shé): n. snake

画 (huà): v./n. to draw/picture

Chǔguó yǒu gè guìzú.
楚国       有    个 贵族。

During Chu dynasty, there was an aristocrat.

Jì guò zǔzong yǐhòu, tā bǎ yì hú jìjiǔ shǎng gěi bāngmáng de púrén.
祭 过 祖宗      以后，他把一 壶 祭酒 赏      给 帮忙        的    仆人。

After worshiping the ancestors (on one day), he gave a jug of libation to the servants who helped him.

Púrén shāngliang shuō:
仆人     商量          说:
"Wǒmen dōu lái huà shé, shuí xiān huà hǎo, shuí jiù hē zhè hú jiǔ."   
我们        都   来   画 蛇， 谁   先    画    好， 谁   就 喝 这 壶 酒。”

The servants discussed among them and said: “Every servant would draw a snake on the ground. The man who finished first would drink the wine.”

Yǒu yí gè rén hěn kuài bǎ shé huà hǎo le.
有  一 个 人 很   快    把   蛇  画  好  了。

One man finished very quickly.

Tā duān qǐ jiǔhú zhèng yào hē, kàndào biérén hái zài máng zhe huà shé,
他 端     起  酒壶    正     要   喝，看到      别人 还 在  忙     着  画  蛇，
jiù déyì de shuō: "Wǒ nénggòu zài gěi shé tiān shàng jǐ zhī jiǎo ne!"
就 得意 地 说：“ 我 能够         再   给 蛇    添  上     几 只 脚 呢！”

He was about to drink the wine. However, when he saw others were still busy drawing, he said in triumph: “I can add feet to my snake.”

Kěshì méi děng tā bǎ jiǎo huà wán, lìng yí gè rén yǐ bǎ shé huà chéng le.
可是    没 等     他 把 脚 画    完， 另 一 个 人 已 把 蛇 画    成   了。

However, before he finished drawing the feet, another man finished drawing a snake.

Nà rén bǎ nà hú jiǔ qiǎng guòqù,
那  人  把 那 壶 酒 抢    过去，
shuō: "Shé běnlái shì méiyǒu jiǎo de, nǐ zěnme néng gěi tā tiān shàng jiǎo ne?"               说：“ 蛇 本来    是 没有    脚 的， 你 怎么  能    给 它 添  上      脚  呢”？

That man grabbed the jar and said: “Who has ever seen a snake with feet? How do you add feet to it?”

Shuō wán, biàn bǎ hú zhōng de jiǔ hē le xiàqu.
说     完， 便   把 壶  中     的 酒 喝了 下去。

Then, he drank up the wine.

Nàgè gěi shé huà jiǎo de rén zuìzhōng méiyǒu hē dào jiǔ.
那个  给 蛇   画 脚    的 人 最终       没有     喝 到 酒。

The man who added feet to the snake didn’t get the wine eventually.

Key Learning Points:

蛇 (shé): n. snake

Example:

Tā hěn hàipà shé.
她 很  害怕   蛇。

She was afraid of snakes.

画 (huà): v./n. to draw/picture

Examples:

Verb:     

    Nǐ zài huà shénme ne?
A: 你 在 画  什么   呢？

    What are you drawing?    

   Wǒ zài huà nà zhī māo.
B: 我 在  画  那  只 猫。

    I'm drawing that cat.

None:

Tā bǎ gāng mǎi de huà guà zài le qiángshàng.
他 把  刚     买 的 画   挂  在 了  墙上。

He hangs the picture he just bought on the wall.

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