画蛇添足

In the past a family in the State of Chu made sacrificial offers to their ancestors, and after that they rewarded the people who helped in the ceremony with the pot of wine used in it.

 

There were many helpers but only one pot of wine. Who should drink it? Someone suggested: "Each person is to draw a snake on the ground. Whoever draws fastest and most lifelike will get the pot of wine."

 

Everyone thought this was a good idea.

 

One man drew very fast, finished it in the twinkling¹ of an eye, and was given the pot of wine. At this moment, he saw that the others had not yet finished, so he wanted to flaunt² his skill once more. He said proudly: "How slow you are! Let me add a few snake feet."

 

Holding the wine pot in his left hand, he began to add feet to the finished snake with his right hand. When he was just adding feet to the snake, another man finished his drawing. He grabbed³ the wine pot at once, saying: "A snake has no feet. How could you add feet to it? The first one who finished drawing a snake is I, not you."

 

Having said this, the man drank the wine with an easy conscience⁴.

 

从前，楚国有一户人家，祭完祖宗以后，把一壶祭祀时用过的酒，赏给帮助办事的人喝。

 

办事的人很多，可是酒只有一壶，到底给谁喝呢？有人提议说：“各人都在地上画一条蛇，谁画得快、画得像，就把这壶酒给谁喝。”

 

大家都认为这个办法很好。

 

有一个人画得很快，一转眼，就把蛇画好了。这壶酒应该归他。可是，这时候，他看看别人都没有画好，就想再炫耀一下自己的能耐。他得意洋洋地说：“你们画得多慢啊，让我再画上几只蛇脚吧！”

 

他左手拿着酒壶，右手又开始给画好了的蛇添上脚。当他正在添足的时候，另一个人却把蛇画好了，而且立刻把酒壶夺了过去，说：“蛇是没有脚的，你怎么画上了脚?第一个画好蛇的是我，不是你哩！”

 

那人说完话，就心安理得地喝起酒来。

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