"畫蛇添足" meaning in Chinese

See 畫蛇添足 in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Phrase

IPA: /xu̯ä⁵¹ ʂɤ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡su³⁵/ [Mandarin, Sinological-IPA], /waːk̚² sɛː²¹ tʰiːm⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵/ [Cantonese, Sinological-IPA], /fa⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sa¹¹ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡siʊk̚¹/ [Hakka, Meixian, Sinological-IPA], /hua²²⁻²¹ sia²⁴ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡siɔk̚³²/ [Hokkien, Xiamen], /xu̯ä⁵¹ ʂɤ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡su³⁵/, /waːk̚² sɛː²¹ tʰiːm⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵/, /fa⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sa¹¹ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡siʊk̚¹/, /hua²²⁻²¹ sia²⁴ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡siɔk̚³²/ Chinese transliterations: huàshétiānzú [Mandarin, Pinyin], ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄗㄨˊ [Mandarin, bopomofo], waak⁶ se⁴ tim¹ zuk¹ [Cantonese, Jyutping], fa⁴ sa² tiam¹ jiug⁵ [Guangdong, Hakka, Meixian], hōa-siâ-thiam-chiok, huàshétiānzú [Hanyu-Pinyin, Mandarin], huàshétianzú [Mandarin, Tongyong-Pinyin], hua⁴-shê²-tʻien¹-tsu² [Mandarin, Wade-Giles], hwà-shé-tyān-dzú [Mandarin, Yale], huahshertiantzwu [Gwoyeu-Romatsyh, Mandarin], хуашэтяньцзу [Mandarin, Palladius], xuašɛtjanʹczu [Mandarin, Palladius], waahk sèh tīm jūk [Cantonese, Yale], waak⁹ se⁴ tim¹ dzuk⁷ [Cantonese, Pinyin], wag⁶ sé⁴ tim¹ zug¹ [Cantonese, Guangdong-Romanization], hōa-siâ-thiam-chiok [Hokkien, POJ], huā-siâ-thiam-tsiok [Hokkien, Tai-lo], hoaxsia'tiamciog [Hokkien, Phofsit-Daibuun] Forms: 画蛇添足
Etymology: From Annals of the Warring States Head templates: {{head|zh|idiom}} 畫蛇添足
  1. (figurative, derogatory) to improve something unnecessarily; to gild the lily Wikipedia link: Chu (state) Tags: derogatory, figuratively, idiomatic Synonyms: 畫蛇添足 [formal, Standard-Chinese], 畫蛇添足 [Taiwan], 畫蛇添足 [Singapore], 畫蛇添足 [Cantonese, Hong-Kong], 畫蛇添足 [Hakka, Meixian], 畫蛇添跤 [Xiamen] Derived forms: 蛇足 (shézú)
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "roman": "huàlóngdiǎnjīng",
      "word": "畫龍點睛"
    },
    {
      "roman": "huàlóngdiǎnjīng",
      "word": "画龙点睛"
    }
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 0,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "zh",
            "2": "畫蛇添足"
          },
          "expansion": "畫蛇添足",
          "name": "lang"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "ja",
            "2": "-",
            "bor": "1"
          },
          "expansion": "→ Japanese:",
          "name": "desc"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "画%蛇 添%足",
            "2": "が%だ てん%そく",
            "gloss": ""
          },
          "expansion": "画(が)蛇(だ)添(てん)足(そく) (gada tensoku)",
          "name": "ja-r"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "画%蛇 添%足",
            "2": "が%じゃ てん%そく",
            "gloss": ""
          },
          "expansion": "画(が)蛇(じゃ)添(てん)足(そく) (gaja tensoku)",
          "name": "ja-r"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "ko",
            "2": "화사첨족(畫蛇添足)",
            "3": "",
            "4": "",
            "5": "",
            "bor": "1",
            "t": "",
            "t2": "",
            "t3": "",
            "t4": ""
          },
          "expansion": "→ Korean: 화사첨족(畫蛇添足) (hwasacheomjok)",
          "name": "desc"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "vi",
            "2": "hoạ xà thiêm túc",
            "bor": "1",
            "t": "",
            "tr": "畫蛇添足"
          },
          "expansion": "→ Vietnamese: hoạ xà thiêm túc (畫蛇添足)",
          "name": "desc"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "畫蛇添足",
            "2": "が%だ てん%そく",
            "3": "화사첨족",
            "4": "hoạ xà thiêm túc",
            "5": "",
            "6": "",
            "h": "畫蛇添足",
            "j2": "が%じゃ てん%そく",
            "j2t": "",
            "j3": "",
            "j3t": "",
            "j4": "",
            "j4t": "",
            "jdesc": "",
            "jje2": "",
            "jje2t": "",
            "jje3": "",
            "jje3t": "",
            "jje4": "",
            "jje4t": "",
            "jjedesc": "",
            "jjet": "",
            "jt": "",
            "k2": "",
            "k2t": "",
            "k3": "",
            "k3t": "",
            "k4": "",
            "k4t": "",
            "kdesc": "",
            "kt": "",
            "o": "畫蛇添足",
            "o2": "",
            "o2t": "",
            "o3": "",
            "o3t": "",
            "o4": "",
            "o4t": "",
            "odesc": "",
            "ot": "",
            "s": "画%蛇 添%足",
            "v": "畫蛇添足",
            "v2": "",
            "v2t": "",
            "v3": "",
            "v3t": "",
            "v4": "",
            "v4t": "",
            "vdesc": "",
            "vt": ""
          },
          "expansion": "Sino-Xenic (畫蛇添足):\n* → Japanese: 画(が)蛇(だ)添(てん)足(そく) (gada tensoku); 画(が)蛇(じゃ)添(てん)足(そく) (gaja tensoku)\n* → Korean: 화사첨족(畫蛇添足) (hwasacheomjok)\n* → Vietnamese: hoạ xà thiêm túc (畫蛇添足)",
          "name": "CJKV/code"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "",
            "2": "が%だ てん%そく",
            "3": "화사첨족",
            "4": "hoạ xà thiêm túc",
            "j": "画%蛇 添%足",
            "j2": "が%じゃ てん%そく"
          },
          "expansion": "Sino-Xenic (畫蛇添足):\n* → Japanese: 画(が)蛇(だ)添(てん)足(そく) (gada tensoku); 画(が)蛇(じゃ)添(てん)足(そく) (gaja tensoku)\n* → Korean: 화사첨족(畫蛇添足) (hwasacheomjok)\n* → Vietnamese: hoạ xà thiêm túc (畫蛇添足)",
          "name": "CJKV"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Sino-Xenic (畫蛇添足):\n* → Japanese: 画(が)蛇(だ)添(てん)足(そく) (gada tensoku); 画(が)蛇(じゃ)添(てん)足(そく) (gaja tensoku)\n* → Korean: 화사첨족(畫蛇添足) (hwasacheomjok)\n* → Vietnamese: hoạ xà thiêm túc (畫蛇添足)"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "vi",
            "2": "vẽ rắn thêm chân",
            "clq": "1"
          },
          "expansion": "→ Vietnamese: vẽ rắn thêm chân (calque)",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "→ Vietnamese: vẽ rắn thêm chân (calque)"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_examples": [
    {
      "english": "Once, there was a host of a sacrificial ceremony in Chu. He gave a jug of wine to his servants. The servants discussed with each other, saying: “This jug of wine is not enough for all of us to drink, but abundant for one of us to drink. We'll all draw a snake on the ground, with the one who draws the fastest getting the wine.” One man finished first. He grabbed the wine jug and was about to drink. Holding the jug of wine in his left hand, he said: “I can draw feet for the snake.” and started drawing the feet with his right hand. Before he had finished drawing the feet, another man finished drawing his snake, snatched the wine and said: \"A snake actually has no feet, how can you draw feet on a snake?\" Then, he drank the wine. The one who added feet to the snake lost the wine in the end.",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Classical Chinese",
        "Traditional Chinese"
      ],
      "ref": " Zhanguo Ce, circa 5ᵗʰ – 3ʳᵈ centuries BCE",
      "roman": "Chǔ yǒu cí zhě, cì qí shè rén zhī jiǔ, shè rén xiāng wèi yuē: “Shù rén yǐn zhī bùzú, yī rén yǐn zhī yǒuyú, qǐng huà dì wéi shé, xiān chéng zhě yǐnjiǔ.” Yī rén shé xiān chéng, yǐn jiǔ qiě yǐn zhī, nǎi zuǒshǒu chí zhī, yòu shǒu huà shé yuē: “Wú néng wéi zhī zú.” Wèi chéng, yī rén zhī shé chéng, duó qí zhī yuē: “Shé gù wú zú, zǐ ān néng wéi zhī zú?” Suì yǐn qí jiǔ. Wéi shé zú zhě, zhōng wáng qí jiǔ.",
      "tags": [
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "text": "楚有祠者,賜其舍人卮酒,舍人相謂曰:「數人飲之不足,一人飲之有餘,請畫地為蛇,先成者飲酒。」一人蛇先成,引酒且飲之,乃左手持卮,右手畫蛇曰:「吾能為之足。」未成,一人之蛇成,奪其卮曰:「蛇固無足,子安能為之足?」遂飲其酒。為蛇足者,終亡其酒。",
      "type": "quote"
    },
    {
      "english": "Once, there was a host of a sacrificial ceremony in Chu. He gave a jug of wine to his servants. The servants discussed with each other, saying: “This jug of wine is not enough for all of us to drink, but abundant for one of us to drink. We'll all draw a snake on the ground, with the one who draws the fastest getting the wine.” One man finished first. He grabbed the wine jug and was about to drink. Holding the jug of wine in his left hand, he said: “I can draw feet for the snake.” and started drawing the feet with his right hand. Before he had finished drawing the feet, another man finished drawing his snake, snatched the wine and said: \"A snake actually has no feet, how can you draw feet on a snake?\" Then, he drank the wine. The one who added feet to the snake lost the wine in the end.",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Classical Chinese",
        "Simplified Chinese"
      ],
      "ref": " Zhanguo Ce, circa 5ᵗʰ – 3ʳᵈ centuries BCE",
      "roman": "Chǔ yǒu cí zhě, cì qí shè rén zhī jiǔ, shè rén xiāng wèi yuē: “Shù rén yǐn zhī bùzú, yī rén yǐn zhī yǒuyú, qǐng huà dì wéi shé, xiān chéng zhě yǐnjiǔ.” Yī rén shé xiān chéng, yǐn jiǔ qiě yǐn zhī, nǎi zuǒshǒu chí zhī, yòu shǒu huà shé yuē: “Wú néng wéi zhī zú.” Wèi chéng, yī rén zhī shé chéng, duó qí zhī yuē: “Shé gù wú zú, zǐ ān néng wéi zhī zú?” Suì yǐn qí jiǔ. Wéi shé zú zhě, zhōng wáng qí jiǔ.",
      "tags": [
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "text": "楚有祠者,赐其舍人卮酒,舍人相谓曰:「数人饮之不足,一人饮之有余,请画地为蛇,先成者饮酒。」一人蛇先成,引酒且饮之,乃左手持卮,右手画蛇曰:「吾能为之足。」未成,一人之蛇成,夺其卮曰:「蛇固无足,子安能为之足?」遂饮其酒。为蛇足者,终亡其酒。",
      "type": "quote"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Annals of the Warring States",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "画蛇添足",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Simplified Chinese"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "zh",
        "2": "idiom"
      },
      "expansion": "畫蛇添足",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Chinese",
  "lang_code": "zh",
  "literal_meaning": "to addfeet drawing a snake",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Cantonese chengyu",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Chinese chengyu",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Chinese entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Hakka chengyu",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Hokkien chengyu",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Intermediate Mandarin",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin chengyu",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "roman": "shézú",
          "word": "蛇足"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to improve something unnecessarily; to gild the lily"
      ],
      "id": "en-畫蛇添足-zh-phrase-P9k21W8A",
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "improve",
          "improve"
        ],
        [
          "unnecessarily",
          "unnecessarily"
        ],
        [
          "gild the lily",
          "gild the lily"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative, derogatory) to improve something unnecessarily; to gild the lily"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "tags": [
            "formal",
            "Standard-Chinese"
          ],
          "word": "畫蛇添足"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "Taiwan"
          ],
          "word": "畫蛇添足"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "Singapore"
          ],
          "word": "畫蛇添足"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "Cantonese",
            "Hong-Kong"
          ],
          "word": "畫蛇添足"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "Hakka",
            "Meixian"
          ],
          "word": "畫蛇添足"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "Xiamen"
          ],
          "word": "畫蛇添跤"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "figuratively",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Chu (state)"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huàshétiānzú"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "bopomofo"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄗㄨˊ"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "waak⁶ se⁴ tim¹ zuk¹"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Guangdong",
        "Hakka",
        "Meixian"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "fa⁴ sa² tiam¹ jiug⁵"
    },
    {
      "zh-pron": "hōa-siâ-thiam-chiok"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Hanyu-Pinyin",
        "Mandarin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huàshétiānzú"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Tongyong-Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huàshétianzú"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Wade-Giles"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "hua⁴-shê²-tʻien¹-tsu²"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "hwà-shé-tyān-dzú"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Gwoyeu-Romatsyh",
        "Mandarin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huahshertiantzwu"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Palladius"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "хуашэтяньцзу"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Palladius"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "xuašɛtjanʹczu"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/xu̯ä⁵¹ ʂɤ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡su³⁵/",
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "waahk sèh tīm jūk"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "waak⁹ se⁴ tim¹ dzuk⁷"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangdong-Romanization"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "wag⁶ sé⁴ tim¹ zug¹"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/waːk̚² sɛː²¹ tʰiːm⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵/",
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/fa⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sa¹¹ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡siʊk̚¹/",
      "tags": [
        "Hakka",
        "Meixian",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien",
        "POJ"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "hōa-siâ-thiam-chiok"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien",
        "Tai-lo"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huā-siâ-thiam-tsiok"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien",
        "Phofsit-Daibuun"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "hoaxsia'tiamciog"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/hua²²⁻²¹ sia²⁴ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡siɔk̚³²/",
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/xu̯ä⁵¹ ʂɤ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡su³⁵/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/waːk̚² sɛː²¹ tʰiːm⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/fa⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sa¹¹ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡siʊk̚¹/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/hua²²⁻²¹ sia²⁴ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡siɔk̚³²/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "畫蛇添足"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "roman": "huàlóngdiǎnjīng",
      "word": "畫龍點睛"
    },
    {
      "roman": "huàlóngdiǎnjīng",
      "word": "画龙点睛"
    }
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "roman": "shézú",
      "word": "蛇足"
    }
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 0,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "zh",
            "2": "畫蛇添足"
          },
          "expansion": "畫蛇添足",
          "name": "lang"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "ja",
            "2": "-",
            "bor": "1"
          },
          "expansion": "→ Japanese:",
          "name": "desc"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "画%蛇 添%足",
            "2": "が%だ てん%そく",
            "gloss": ""
          },
          "expansion": "画(が)蛇(だ)添(てん)足(そく) (gada tensoku)",
          "name": "ja-r"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "画%蛇 添%足",
            "2": "が%じゃ てん%そく",
            "gloss": ""
          },
          "expansion": "画(が)蛇(じゃ)添(てん)足(そく) (gaja tensoku)",
          "name": "ja-r"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "ko",
            "2": "화사첨족(畫蛇添足)",
            "3": "",
            "4": "",
            "5": "",
            "bor": "1",
            "t": "",
            "t2": "",
            "t3": "",
            "t4": ""
          },
          "expansion": "→ Korean: 화사첨족(畫蛇添足) (hwasacheomjok)",
          "name": "desc"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "vi",
            "2": "hoạ xà thiêm túc",
            "bor": "1",
            "t": "",
            "tr": "畫蛇添足"
          },
          "expansion": "→ Vietnamese: hoạ xà thiêm túc (畫蛇添足)",
          "name": "desc"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "畫蛇添足",
            "2": "が%だ てん%そく",
            "3": "화사첨족",
            "4": "hoạ xà thiêm túc",
            "5": "",
            "6": "",
            "h": "畫蛇添足",
            "j2": "が%じゃ てん%そく",
            "j2t": "",
            "j3": "",
            "j3t": "",
            "j4": "",
            "j4t": "",
            "jdesc": "",
            "jje2": "",
            "jje2t": "",
            "jje3": "",
            "jje3t": "",
            "jje4": "",
            "jje4t": "",
            "jjedesc": "",
            "jjet": "",
            "jt": "",
            "k2": "",
            "k2t": "",
            "k3": "",
            "k3t": "",
            "k4": "",
            "k4t": "",
            "kdesc": "",
            "kt": "",
            "o": "畫蛇添足",
            "o2": "",
            "o2t": "",
            "o3": "",
            "o3t": "",
            "o4": "",
            "o4t": "",
            "odesc": "",
            "ot": "",
            "s": "画%蛇 添%足",
            "v": "畫蛇添足",
            "v2": "",
            "v2t": "",
            "v3": "",
            "v3t": "",
            "v4": "",
            "v4t": "",
            "vdesc": "",
            "vt": ""
          },
          "expansion": "Sino-Xenic (畫蛇添足):\n* → Japanese: 画(が)蛇(だ)添(てん)足(そく) (gada tensoku); 画(が)蛇(じゃ)添(てん)足(そく) (gaja tensoku)\n* → Korean: 화사첨족(畫蛇添足) (hwasacheomjok)\n* → Vietnamese: hoạ xà thiêm túc (畫蛇添足)",
          "name": "CJKV/code"
        },
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "",
            "2": "が%だ てん%そく",
            "3": "화사첨족",
            "4": "hoạ xà thiêm túc",
            "j": "画%蛇 添%足",
            "j2": "が%じゃ てん%そく"
          },
          "expansion": "Sino-Xenic (畫蛇添足):\n* → Japanese: 画(が)蛇(だ)添(てん)足(そく) (gada tensoku); 画(が)蛇(じゃ)添(てん)足(そく) (gaja tensoku)\n* → Korean: 화사첨족(畫蛇添足) (hwasacheomjok)\n* → Vietnamese: hoạ xà thiêm túc (畫蛇添足)",
          "name": "CJKV"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Sino-Xenic (畫蛇添足):\n* → Japanese: 画(が)蛇(だ)添(てん)足(そく) (gada tensoku); 画(が)蛇(じゃ)添(てん)足(そく) (gaja tensoku)\n* → Korean: 화사첨족(畫蛇添足) (hwasacheomjok)\n* → Vietnamese: hoạ xà thiêm túc (畫蛇添足)"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "vi",
            "2": "vẽ rắn thêm chân",
            "clq": "1"
          },
          "expansion": "→ Vietnamese: vẽ rắn thêm chân (calque)",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "→ Vietnamese: vẽ rắn thêm chân (calque)"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_examples": [
    {
      "english": "Once, there was a host of a sacrificial ceremony in Chu. He gave a jug of wine to his servants. The servants discussed with each other, saying: “This jug of wine is not enough for all of us to drink, but abundant for one of us to drink. We'll all draw a snake on the ground, with the one who draws the fastest getting the wine.” One man finished first. He grabbed the wine jug and was about to drink. Holding the jug of wine in his left hand, he said: “I can draw feet for the snake.” and started drawing the feet with his right hand. Before he had finished drawing the feet, another man finished drawing his snake, snatched the wine and said: \"A snake actually has no feet, how can you draw feet on a snake?\" Then, he drank the wine. The one who added feet to the snake lost the wine in the end.",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Classical Chinese",
        "Traditional Chinese"
      ],
      "ref": " Zhanguo Ce, circa 5ᵗʰ – 3ʳᵈ centuries BCE",
      "roman": "Chǔ yǒu cí zhě, cì qí shè rén zhī jiǔ, shè rén xiāng wèi yuē: “Shù rén yǐn zhī bùzú, yī rén yǐn zhī yǒuyú, qǐng huà dì wéi shé, xiān chéng zhě yǐnjiǔ.” Yī rén shé xiān chéng, yǐn jiǔ qiě yǐn zhī, nǎi zuǒshǒu chí zhī, yòu shǒu huà shé yuē: “Wú néng wéi zhī zú.” Wèi chéng, yī rén zhī shé chéng, duó qí zhī yuē: “Shé gù wú zú, zǐ ān néng wéi zhī zú?” Suì yǐn qí jiǔ. Wéi shé zú zhě, zhōng wáng qí jiǔ.",
      "tags": [
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "text": "楚有祠者,賜其舍人卮酒,舍人相謂曰:「數人飲之不足,一人飲之有餘,請畫地為蛇,先成者飲酒。」一人蛇先成,引酒且飲之,乃左手持卮,右手畫蛇曰:「吾能為之足。」未成,一人之蛇成,奪其卮曰:「蛇固無足,子安能為之足?」遂飲其酒。為蛇足者,終亡其酒。",
      "type": "quote"
    },
    {
      "english": "Once, there was a host of a sacrificial ceremony in Chu. He gave a jug of wine to his servants. The servants discussed with each other, saying: “This jug of wine is not enough for all of us to drink, but abundant for one of us to drink. We'll all draw a snake on the ground, with the one who draws the fastest getting the wine.” One man finished first. He grabbed the wine jug and was about to drink. Holding the jug of wine in his left hand, he said: “I can draw feet for the snake.” and started drawing the feet with his right hand. Before he had finished drawing the feet, another man finished drawing his snake, snatched the wine and said: \"A snake actually has no feet, how can you draw feet on a snake?\" Then, he drank the wine. The one who added feet to the snake lost the wine in the end.",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Classical Chinese",
        "Simplified Chinese"
      ],
      "ref": " Zhanguo Ce, circa 5ᵗʰ – 3ʳᵈ centuries BCE",
      "roman": "Chǔ yǒu cí zhě, cì qí shè rén zhī jiǔ, shè rén xiāng wèi yuē: “Shù rén yǐn zhī bùzú, yī rén yǐn zhī yǒuyú, qǐng huà dì wéi shé, xiān chéng zhě yǐnjiǔ.” Yī rén shé xiān chéng, yǐn jiǔ qiě yǐn zhī, nǎi zuǒshǒu chí zhī, yòu shǒu huà shé yuē: “Wú néng wéi zhī zú.” Wèi chéng, yī rén zhī shé chéng, duó qí zhī yuē: “Shé gù wú zú, zǐ ān néng wéi zhī zú?” Suì yǐn qí jiǔ. Wéi shé zú zhě, zhōng wáng qí jiǔ.",
      "tags": [
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "text": "楚有祠者,赐其舍人卮酒,舍人相谓曰:「数人饮之不足,一人饮之有余,请画地为蛇,先成者饮酒。」一人蛇先成,引酒且饮之,乃左手持卮,右手画蛇曰:「吾能为之足。」未成,一人之蛇成,夺其卮曰:「蛇固无足,子安能为之足?」遂饮其酒。为蛇足者,终亡其酒。",
      "type": "quote"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Annals of the Warring States",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "画蛇添足",
      "raw_tags": [
        "Simplified Chinese"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "zh",
        "2": "idiom"
      },
      "expansion": "畫蛇添足",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Chinese",
  "lang_code": "zh",
  "literal_meaning": "to addfeet drawing a snake",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Cantonese chengyu",
        "Cantonese idioms",
        "Cantonese lemmas",
        "Chinese chengyu",
        "Chinese derogatory terms",
        "Chinese entries with incorrect language header",
        "Chinese idioms",
        "Chinese lemmas",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 添",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 畫",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 蛇",
        "Chinese terms spelled with 足",
        "Chinese terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "Hakka chengyu",
        "Hakka idioms",
        "Hakka lemmas",
        "Hokkien chengyu",
        "Hokkien idioms",
        "Hokkien lemmas",
        "Intermediate Mandarin",
        "Mandarin chengyu",
        "Mandarin idioms",
        "Mandarin lemmas",
        "Mandarin terms with audio links",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to improve something unnecessarily; to gild the lily"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "improve",
          "improve"
        ],
        [
          "unnecessarily",
          "unnecessarily"
        ],
        [
          "gild the lily",
          "gild the lily"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative, derogatory) to improve something unnecessarily; to gild the lily"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "figuratively",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Chu (state)"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huàshétiānzú"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "bopomofo"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄕㄜˊ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄗㄨˊ"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Jyutping"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "waak⁶ se⁴ tim¹ zuk¹"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Guangdong",
        "Hakka",
        "Meixian"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "fa⁴ sa² tiam¹ jiug⁵"
    },
    {
      "zh-pron": "hōa-siâ-thiam-chiok"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Hanyu-Pinyin",
        "Mandarin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huàshétiānzú"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Tongyong-Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huàshétianzú"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Wade-Giles"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "hua⁴-shê²-tʻien¹-tsu²"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "hwà-shé-tyān-dzú"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Gwoyeu-Romatsyh",
        "Mandarin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huahshertiantzwu"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Palladius"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "хуашэтяньцзу"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Palladius"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "xuašɛtjanʹczu"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/xu̯ä⁵¹ ʂɤ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡su³⁵/",
      "tags": [
        "Mandarin",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Yale"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "waahk sèh tīm jūk"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Pinyin"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "waak⁹ se⁴ tim¹ dzuk⁷"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Guangdong-Romanization"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "wag⁶ sé⁴ tim¹ zug¹"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/waːk̚² sɛː²¹ tʰiːm⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵/",
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/fa⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sa¹¹ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡siʊk̚¹/",
      "tags": [
        "Hakka",
        "Meixian",
        "Sinological-IPA"
      ]
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien",
        "POJ"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "hōa-siâ-thiam-chiok"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien",
        "Tai-lo"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "huā-siâ-thiam-tsiok"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien",
        "Phofsit-Daibuun"
      ],
      "zh-pron": "hoaxsia'tiamciog"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/hua²²⁻²¹ sia²⁴ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡siɔk̚³²/",
      "tags": [
        "Hokkien",
        "Xiamen"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/xu̯ä⁵¹ ʂɤ³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ t͡su³⁵/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/waːk̚² sɛː²¹ tʰiːm⁵⁵ t͡sʊk̚⁵/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/fa⁵³⁻⁵⁵ sa¹¹ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡siʊk̚¹/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/hua²²⁻²¹ sia²⁴ tʰiam⁴⁴⁻²² t͡siɔk̚³²/"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "formal",
        "Standard-Chinese"
      ],
      "word": "畫蛇添足"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Taiwan"
      ],
      "word": "畫蛇添足"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Singapore"
      ],
      "word": "畫蛇添足"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Cantonese",
        "Hong-Kong"
      ],
      "word": "畫蛇添足"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Hakka",
        "Meixian"
      ],
      "word": "畫蛇添足"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "Xiamen"
      ],
      "word": "畫蛇添跤"
    }
  ],
  "word": "畫蛇添足"
}

Download raw JSONL data for 畫蛇添足 meaning in Chinese (10.4kB)

{
  "called_from": "pronunciations/296/20230324",
  "msg": "Zh-pron header not found in zh_pron_tags or tags: '(Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺'",
  "path": [
    "畫蛇添足"
  ],
  "section": "Chinese",
  "subsection": "",
  "title": "畫蛇添足",
  "trace": ""
}

{
  "called_from": "pronunciations/296/20230324",
  "msg": "Zh-pron header not found in zh_pron_tags or tags: 'Southern Min'",
  "path": [
    "畫蛇添足"
  ],
  "section": "Chinese",
  "subsection": "",
  "title": "畫蛇添足",
  "trace": ""
}

{
  "called_from": "pronunciations/296/20230324",
  "msg": "Zh-pron header not found in zh_pron_tags or tags: '(Standard Chinese)⁺'",
  "path": [
    "畫蛇添足"
  ],
  "section": "Chinese",
  "subsection": "",
  "title": "畫蛇添足",
  "trace": ""
}

{
  "called_from": "pronunciations/296/20230324",
  "msg": "Zh-pron header not found in zh_pron_tags or tags: 'Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ)'",
  "path": [
    "畫蛇添足"
  ],
  "section": "Chinese",
  "subsection": "",
  "title": "畫蛇添足",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Chinese dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.