画蛇添足 (huàshétiānzú) · to overdo it

画蛇添足 (huàshétiānzú) means “to overdo it; to add something unnecessary”. It is written with 4 characters: 画 (to draw) + 蛇 (snake) + 添 (to add) + 足 (foot). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).

How 画蛇添足 is built

The characters

画 huà · to draw

What 画 is made of

一 — horizontal stroke
凵qiǎn — container
田tián — field
- 冂 — frame
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
- 土tǔ — earth
  - 十 — ten
  - 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: A painting on an easel; compare 畫, which includes the brush (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

蛇 shé · snake

What 蛇 is made of

虫chóng — insect
- 中zhōng — central
  - 口kǒu — mouth
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
它tā — it
- 宀 — roof
  - 丶 — dot
  - 冖mì — cover
- 匕bǐ — spoon
  - 乚 — hook stroke
  - 丿 — falling stroke

添 tiān · to add

What 添 is made of

氵shuǐ — water
忝tiǎn — shame
- 天tiān — sky
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 大dà — big
- ⺗ — heart

足 zú · foot

What 足 is made of

口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: The leg 口 above the foot (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

文章已经很好了，再加就是画蛇添足。Wénzhāng yǐjīng hěn hǎo le, zài jiā jiù shì huàshétiānzú.The essay is already good; adding more would be overdoing it.

这句话有点儿画蛇添足。Zhè jù huà yǒudiǎnr huàshétiānzú.This sentence is a bit unnecessary.

Questions about 画蛇添足

What does 画蛇添足 mean?

画蛇添足 (huàshétiānzú) means “to overdo it; to add something unnecessary”.

How do you pronounce 画蛇添足?

画蛇添足 is pronounced huàshétiānzú.

Which HSK level is 画蛇添足?

画蛇添足 is in Old HSK 6.

Related words

Learn 画蛇添足 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 80: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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