A nobleman of Chu rewarded his servants with a single pot of wine. There were many servants but only one pot — not enough for all, more than enough for one. They decided on a contest: each would draw a snake on the ground. Whoever finished first would drink the wine.
One man finished well ahead of the others. He picked up the pot, about to drink — then looked at his snake and thought: I have time to spare. I can make it even more perfect. He set down the wine and began adding legs to his snake.
While he drew legs, another man finished his snake, snatched the pot from his hand, and said: "Snakes have no legs. You haven't drawn a snake — you've drawn something else." He drank the wine.
The first man had drawn the perfect snake — and ruined it by adding what it never needed.
楚有祠者，赐其舍人卮酒。舍人相谓曰：「数人饮之不足，一人饮之有余。请画地为蛇，先成者饮酒。」
一人蛇先成，引酒且饮之，乃左手持卮，右手画蛇曰：「吾能为之足。」未成，一人之蛇成，夺其卮曰：「蛇固无足，子安能为之足？」遂饮其酒。
楚有祠者，赐其舍人卮酒。舍人相谓曰：「数人饮之不足，一人饮之有余。请画地为蛇，先成者饮酒。」
一人蛇先成，引酒且饮之，乃左手持卮，右手画蛇曰：「吾能为之足。」未成，一人之蛇成，夺其卮曰：「蛇固无足，子安能为之足？」遂饮其酒。
Reflection & Analysis · 寓意解读
Core Wisdom
Perfection is knowing when to stop. The last stroke of unnecessary effort can undo all that came before.
The idiom "画蛇添足" (drawing legs on a snake) warns against overembellishment — adding unnecessary details to something that is already complete. The man's error was not incompetence but inability to leave well enough alone.
This parable applies far beyond art. In business, in design, in communication, the urge to add "one more thing" is often the enemy of the finished product. The snake was perfect. The legs were the flaw.