▸ 很久以前hěn jiǔ yǐ qián，有yǒu几个jǐ ge朋友péng you一起yī qǐ喝酒hē jiǔ。

Long ago, some friends were drinking together.

▸ 他们tā men决定jué dìng比赛bǐ sài画huà蛇shé。

They decided to have a snake-drawing race.

▸ 谁shéi先xiān画好huà hǎo，谁shéi就jiù喝hē一yī壶hú好hǎo酒jiǔ。

Whoever finished first would drink a pot of good wine.

▸ 一个人yī gè rén很快hěn kuài就jiù画好huà hǎo了le。

One man finished his drawing very quickly.

▸ 他tā看kàn别人bié ren还没hái méi画完huà wán，很高兴hěn gāo xìng。

He saw the others were not done yet, and he was very pleased.

▸ 他tā想xiǎng：“我wǒ再zài给gěi蛇shé画huà几jǐ只zhī脚jiǎo吧ba！”

He thought, "Let me add a few feet to my snake!"

▸ 这时zhè shí，另一个人lìng yī gè rén也yě画好huà hǎo了le。

Just then, another man finished his snake too.

▸ 他tā拿起ná qǐ酒jiǔ说shuō：“蛇shé没有méi yǒu脚jiǎo！你nǐ画错huà cuò了le！”

He picked up the wine and said, "Snakes have no feet! You drew it wrong!"

▸ 第dì一个人yī gè rén输shū了le，没méi喝hē到dào酒jiǔ。

The first man lost and didn't get to drink the wine.

▸ 这个zhè ge成语chéng yǔ是shì“画蛇添足huà shé tiān zú”。

This idiom is "drawing a snake and adding feet."

▸ 意思yì si是shì：做了zuò le不用bù yòng做的zuò de事shì，结果jié guǒ更gèng不好bù hǎo。

It means: you do something unneeded, and things turn out worse.

▸ 小xiǎo美的měi dí画huà很hěn好看hǎo kàn，她tā又yòu加jiā了le很多hěn duō东西dōng xi，真是zhēn shi画蛇添足huà shé tiān zú。

Xiao Mei's painting looked great, but she added lots more to it — truly drawing a snake and adding feet.

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