Drawing a Snake and Adding Feet
畫蛇添足
A group of retainers race to draw a snake for a jug of wine — whoever finishes first gets to drink it alone. But the fastest one, thinking his snake looks too plain, adds a few extra feet, and loses the wine to the retainer who finishes second.
The story
Once, in the Warring States era, a family in the state of Chu had just finished a sacrifice to their ancestors. The master brought out a jug of wine to reward the retainers who served in his household. It was not a large jug — shared among several people it would hardly be enough, though one person alone could drink it with plenty to spare. The retainers looked at one another, unsure how to divide such a small prize fairly.
One of the older retainers had an idea. "Let's each draw a snake on the ground," he said with a grin. "Whoever finishes first gets to drink the whole jug alone." Everyone thought this sounded fair and fun, so they each picked up a stick and crouched down on the courtyard's bare earth, drawing eagerly.
Among them, one retainer in a green robe had the quickest hand. In no time at all he had drawn a full snake — body, head, and tail. He stood up, feeling quite pleased with himself, and reached for the jug of wine. But glancing around, he saw the others still bent over their drawings, sticks moving busily, nowhere near finished. "I have plenty of time," he thought. "Why not add a few feet, just to make my snake look even finer?"
So he settled back down, holding the wine jug steady in his left hand while his right hand carefully drew one leg after another onto his snake, a satisfied smile on his face. He was so absorbed in his work that he never noticed what was happening beside him. Just then, another retainer in a rust-colored robe, tied at the waist with a plain hemp cord, quietly finished his own snake — plain and simple, with not a single leg.
The retainer in rust stood up, saw the green-robed man still crouched over his drawing with the jug in one hand and a stick in the other, and stepped forward in two quick strides. He reached out and snatched the wine jug clean out of the other man's hand.
"I finished first!" the green-robed retainer protested, startled. "How can you take my wine?" But the other man only held the jug calmly and said, "A snake never had feet to begin with. How could you possibly add feet to it? The way I see it, what you drew is no longer a snake at all." And with that, he tipped back his head and drank the wine down, every last drop.
The green-robed retainer stared at the empty jug, his face turning red with embarrassment and regret. If only he had simply taken his wine the moment his snake was finished, instead of adding those needless feet. The other retainers watched his crestfallen face and could not help laughing and shaking their heads. The evening sun stretched long shadows across the courtyard, and there in the dirt lay the four-legged snake, looking sillier by the moment.
Story takeaway
Adding unnecessary flourishes to something that is already good enough can ruin it entirely — and cost you what you already had.
Talk together
If you have already finished something well, do you ever feel tempted to keep adding "clever" extra touches that aren't really needed?
For grown-ups
Parent note
This story is good to share with a child who tends to keep tinkering with something even after it is already done well. The green-robed retainer finished his snake first and had already won the wine fair and square — but because he couldn't resist adding feet to show off, he lost it to the retainer who kept his drawing simple. Talk together about pausing after finishing a task to ask "is this already good enough?" instead of rushing to add one more thing, which can sometimes undo all the good work already done.
Words to learn
- retainer: someone who lives and works in a noble household, helping with errands and duties. e.g. Several retainers took part in the snake-drawing contest.
- pleased: feeling happy and a little proud because something went well. e.g. He felt pleased with himself after finishing his snake first.
- regret: to feel sorry afterward that something happened or that you did something. e.g. He was full of regret once the wine jug was taken away.
Reading activity
Play a little game called "is it already good enough?" — say a few lines and see if your child can tell whether one more step is needed: "You've already stacked your blocks into a beautiful tower — should you add one more block that might make it topple?" → No, it's already good — leave it as it is. "You've already finished and checked your homework — should you erase a letter and rewrite it just to make it look 'fancier'?" → No, finished and checked is enough. "You've already wrapped the gift neatly — should you tie on a few more ribbons and risk wrinkling the paper?" → No, neat and tidy is already good enough. At the end, wonder together: what might have happened if the retainer in the story had never added those extra feet to his snake?
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