画蛇添足
Drawing legs on a snake
Name: ________________ Date: ________
两千多年前，楚国有一家人拜完祖先，把一大杯酒送给了家里帮忙的几个人。
酒只有一杯，人却有好几个。几个人一起喝，谁也喝不够；一个人喝，就能喝个够。
有人说：“这样吧，每人在地上画一条蛇，谁先画完，谁就喝这杯酒！”
有一个人画得最快，不一会儿，他的蛇就画好了。他拿起酒杯，正要喝，又看了看别人：有的蛇还没有尾巴，有的蛇还没有头。
他得意地笑了：“你们慢慢画，我还有时间，再给我的蛇画几只脚！”
他左手拿着酒杯，右手继续画：一只脚，两只脚，三只脚……
第四只脚还没画完，旁边有人叫了一声：“我画好了！”他一把抢走酒杯：“蛇本来没有脚，你怎么能给它画脚呢？”说完，一口气就把那杯酒喝光了。
画脚的人看了看那条有脚的蛇，又看了看自己空空的手，一句话也说不出来。
今天，中国人还常说“画蛇添足”。比如，话已经说清楚了，你还想再说一遍；菜已经很好吃了，你还想再放一大勺盐。这时候，朋友就会笑着说：“别画蛇添足了！”
那么，这个故事告诉我们什么呢？不说了。再多说一句，就画蛇添足了。
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 酒 | jiǔ | alcohol; liquor; wine |
| 只有 | zhíyǒu | only; only if; unless |
| 先 | xiān | first; in advance |
| 别人 | biéren | other people; others; someone else |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot |
| 句 | jù | classifier for phrases and lines of speech or verse |
| 常 | cháng | often; frequently |
| 比如 | bǐrú | for example; for instance; such as |
| 清楚 | qīngchu | clear; distinct |
| 故事 | gùshi | story; tale |
| 不够 | búgòu | not enough; insufficient |
| 得意 | déyì | pleased with oneself; proud; complacent |
English (for the teacher)
More than two thousand years ago, a family in the state of Chu finished honouring their ancestors and gave a big cup of wine to the few people who helped around the house.
There was only one cup of wine, but there were several of them. Shared between them, it wouldn’t be enough for anyone; one person alone could drink his fill.
Someone said, “Tell you what: everyone draws a snake on the ground, and whoever finishes first gets the wine!”
One man drew faster than anyone, and in no time his snake was done. He picked up the cup and was just about to drink when he glanced at the others: some of their snakes had no tails yet, and some had no heads.
He smiled smugly: “Take your time, all of you. I’ve still got time, so I’ll give my snake a few legs!”
Holding the cup in his left hand, he kept drawing with his right: one leg, two legs, three legs…
Before he had finished the fourth leg, someone beside him called out, “I’m done!” He snatched the cup away: “Snakes don’t have legs to begin with. How can you draw legs on it?” With that, he drank the whole cup in one go.
The man who drew the legs looked at the snake with legs, then at his own empty hands, and couldn’t say a word.
Today, Chinese people still often say “drawing legs on a snake”. Say you’ve already made yourself clear, but you want to say it all again; or the dish already tastes great, but you want to add another big spoonful of salt. That’s when a friend will laugh and say, “Don’t draw legs on the snake!”
So, what does this story teach us? I’ll stop there. One more word, and I’d be drawing legs on the snake.