I added four legs to the snake I drew.(畫蛇添足)
In the Kingdom of Chu during the Warring
States Period in China, there was a rich man. One day the rich man said to all
the servants in his house.
I have a very expensive bottle of Chinese
rice wine. I will give this bottle to you and you can decide how to distribute
it.
After some discussion among the servants of
the rich man's family, they came to a decision that everyone agreed with.
They want to use the game to draw pictures.
This is how they decide who can have this
bottle of Chinese rice wine.
Together they decided on a theme for the
drawing, which was a snake.
The game started and one of the servants
drew a snake very quickly.
The servant shouted happily.
I have won the competition and this bottle
of Chinese rice wine is mine.
The servant picked up the bottle of Chinese
rice wine and immediately poured a glass to drink.
While drinking the Chinese rice wine, the
servant picked up the paintbrush and said to the other servants who were still
drawing pictures.
I'm great and I'm so proud of myself. Let me
touch up the snake I drew a little more.
Then the servant drew four more legs under
the body of the snake he had drawn.
At this point another servant shouted. I've
finished my drawing. I've drawn a snake.
Another servant said to all the servants.
I have finished my work and this bottle of
Chinese rice wine should be mine.
When the first servant who had finished
drawing the snake heard this, he became very angry and said to the second
servant who had finished drawing the snake.
This bottle of Chinese rice wine is already
mine, and I am the first to finish the work.
The second servant who had finished drawing
the snake came over to the first servant who had finished drawing the snake. He
pointed to the serpent drawn by the first servant who had finished drawing the
serpent and said to everyone.
I ask you all to judge, is what he has
drawn a snake?
If it is a snake, why does it have legs?
After listening to what the second servant
who had finished drawing the snake said, the other servants gathered to discuss
it.
Said the servants after a few minutes.
We have agreed that this bottle of Chinese
rice wine belongs to the second servant who drew the snake.
Because the first servant who finished
painting the snake painted a snake with four legs, we felt that his work did not
fit our theme.
This idiom is used to describe a person who
was already successful, but because he was too proud, he did something
superfluous. Later, the person's success turned into failure because of the
superfluous thing he did.
Dear friend, what inspiration or thoughts
do you have after listening to this story?
Have you ever had an experience similar to
that of the person who first drew a snake? How can we remind ourselves not to
do wrong things out of pride?
I hope this story can give you some new
insights.
畫蛇添足(I added four legs to the snake I
drew.)
在中國的戰國時代的楚王國有一個富豪，有一天，這個富豪對他家裡的所有僕人說。
我有一瓶非常昂貴的中國米酒，我要把這瓶酒送給你們，你們自己決定要如何分配這瓶酒。
富豪家裡的僕人們經過討論後，他們做出了一個大家都同意的決定
他們要用比賽畫圖。
他們要透過這個方式來決定誰可以擁有這一瓶中國米酒。
他們一起訂出了畫圖的主題，畫圖的主題是劃一條蛇。
比賽開始，其中有一個僕人用很快的速度畫出一條蛇。
這個僕人開心的大喊。
我已經贏得比賽，我可以擁有這一瓶中國米酒。
這個僕人就拿起這一瓶中國米酒並且立刻倒了一杯來喝。
這個僕人邊喝中國米酒邊又拿起畫筆對其他還在畫圖的僕人說。
我太棒了，我真為自己感到驕傲。讓我再修飾一下我畫的蛇吧。
然後這個僕人就在自己畫好的蛇的身體下面再畫上了四隻腳。
此時另一個僕人喊著說。我完成我的圖畫了，我已經畫好一條蛇。
另外一個僕人對所有的僕人們說。
我完成了我的作品，這一瓶中國米酒應該歸我所有。
第一個畫完蛇的僕人聽到這句話後就很生氣的對第二個畫好蛇的僕人說。
這一瓶中國米酒已經屬於我，我才是第一個完成作品的人。
第二個畫完蛇的僕人走到第一個畫完蛇的僕人的身邊，他指著第一個畫完蛇的僕人所畫的蛇對所有的人說。
我請你們大家評斷一下，他所畫的是蛇嗎?
如果他畫的是蛇，那麼為何這隻蛇會有腳呢?
其他僕人聽完第二個畫完蛇的僕人說的話便聚在一起討論。
幾分鐘後，這些僕人說。
我們已經有了共識，我們認為這瓶中國米酒應該要歸第二個畫好蛇的僕人所擁有。
因為第一個畫完蛇的僕人所畫的蛇有四隻腳，我們認為他的作品不符合我們的主題。
這句成語被用來形容一個人原本已經獲得成功，但個人因為太驕傲所以又做了一件多餘的事情，後來這個人因為自己做的這件多餘的事情導致自己成功轉變成失敗。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
你有發生過類似這位第一個畫完蛇的人的經驗嗎?我們如何提醒自已不要因為驕傲作出錯誤的行為呢?
我希望這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為戰國策-齊策2-昭陽為楚伐魏
https://ctext.org/zhan-guo-ce/qi-er/zh