Basic Information Chinese Idiom: 画蛇添足 Pinyin: huà shé tiān zú Literal Meaning: Draw a snake and then add feet to it. Figurative Meaning: Do something unnecessary that ruins what is already perfect; overdo a thing and end up making a fool of oneself. Cultural Background This well-known fable-based idiom comes from the Warring States…
By Su Shi (Song Dynasty) In the autumn of the Renxu year, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month, I sailed with my guests beneath the Red Cliff. A gentle breeze blew softly; the river lay calm without a ripple. Raising my cup to toast my companions, I recited poems of the bright…
The district of Chu is entirely surrounded by hills. Among the peaks in the southwest, the forests and valleys are especially beautiful. The one that appears lush, deep, and elegant is Mount Langya. After walking six or seven miles along the mountain path, one gradually hears the gurgling sound of water flowing out between…
Scholar Han, descendant of a well-known aristocratic family, was very fond of guests. A man named Xu in the same village often went to his place to drink.
A sea-gull alighted in a suburb of the capital of Lu. The Marquis of Lu welcomed it and feasted it in the temple hall, ordering the royal music and grandest sacrifices for it.