画蛇添足
huàshé-tiānzúTraditional 畫蛇添足
to gild the lily; to ruin something by adding unnecessary details
Every meaning
huàshé-tiānzú
- to gild the lily; to ruin something by adding unnecessary details
In the Library
今天，中国人还常说“画蛇添足”。
画蛇添足 · Drawing legs on a snake · HSK 4
这难道不是画蛇添足吗？
Its characters
Words with 画
Words with 添
Meanings are from Mandarin The Wild’s own dictionary. Levels follow the official HSK word list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus, levels 7–9 shown together).