画蛇添足
Adding Feet to a Snake
很久很久以前，在一个美丽的小村庄里，有一位富人准备了一坛香醇的美酒。这天，他邀请了几个朋友到家里聚会，大家兴高采烈地围坐在一起品酒聊天。酒坛打开后，浓郁的香气瞬间弥漫开来，朋友们都迫不及待地想品尝这美酒。然而，这坛酒并不多，只够每人喝一小杯。
Once upon a time, in a beautiful little village, there was a wealthy man who prepared a jar of fragrant wine. On this day, he invited a few friends to his house for a gathering. Everyone sat around excitedly, tasting the wine and chatting. When the jar was opened, a rich aroma filled the air, and the friends couldn’t wait to taste the wine. However, there wasn’t much wine, only enough for each person to have a small cup.
他们很快就把酒喝光了，但每个人都觉得意犹未尽，想再喝一些。这时，富人灵机一动，提出了一个有趣的比赛：“咱们来比赛画蛇吧！谁画得最快最漂亮，就可以喝剩下的酒。”
They quickly finished the wine, but everyone still wanted more. At this moment, the wealthy man had a clever idea and proposed an interesting competition: “Let’s have a contest to draw snakes! Whoever draws the fastest and most beautiful snake can drink the remaining wine.”
大家听了都很兴奋，纷纷拿起笔和纸开始画蛇。有个年轻人特别自信，觉得自己画画很快，一定能赢。他聚精会神地画着，不一会儿就画出了一条栩栩如生的蛇。他看见其他人还在画，心想：“他们画得这么慢，我再给蛇添几只脚，让它更特别吧！”
Everyone was thrilled and quickly grabbed pens and paper to start drawing snakes. One young man, in particular, was very confident. He believed he was fast at drawing and would surely win. He focused intently and soon drew a lifelike snake. Seeing that others were still drawing, he thought to himself, “They are so slow. I’ll add a few feet to my snake to make it more special!”
于是，他拿起笔，得意洋洋地在蛇身上添了几只脚。就在这时，其他人也陆续画完了蛇。大家聚在一起评判作品，当轮到那位年轻人的时候，其他人都愣住了。有人说：“蛇本来就没有脚，你画的这是什么？”
So, he picked up his pen and proudly added several feet to the snake. Just then, the others finished their drawings. Everyone gathered to judge the works, and when it was the young man’s turn, the others were stunned. Someone said, “Snakes don’t have feet. What is this that you’ve drawn?”
年轻人这才意识到自己犯了个大错误。他不仅没能赢得比赛，反而被大家嘲笑了一番。最终，剩下的酒被另一位画得又快又好的朋友喝掉了。
The young man realized he had made a big mistake. Not only did he fail to win the competition, but he was also laughed at by everyone. In the end, the remaining wine was given to another friend who had drawn quickly and well.
这个故事告诉我们，有时候做事情要适可而止，画蛇添足不仅没用，反而会适得其反。过分追求完美或者添加多余的东西，可能会弄巧成拙，得不偿失。
This story teaches us that sometimes we need to know when to stop. Adding unnecessary things, like feet to a snake, not only is useless but can backfire. Overly pursuing perfection or adding extra elements can lead to failure and loss.