superfluous(huà shé tiān zú)

superfluous

It is a Chinese idiom.

Pinyin: Hu à sh é Ti à NZ ú

Interpretation: the language comes from "Warring States strategy · Qi CE 2". The original meaning is to add feet to the snake when drawing it. The latter metaphor does something superfluous, which is not beneficial but inappropriate. It is also a metaphor for making up facts.

This story satirizes those who do too much but lose too much. Later, it uses the metaphor of "painting a snake and adding feet" to describe that doing superfluous things is harmful and unhelpful. It is also a metaphor for making up facts.

idiom

superfluous

Pinyin

huàshétiānzú

Citation explanation

Add feet to the snake when drawing it. It is not only useless, but also harmful.

source

Qi CE 2, Warring States policy: "snake has no feet, can Zi an be enough?" Han Yu's poem "Changli collection, Volume 3, Ganchun" in Tang Dynasty: "it's useless to draw a snake and write a book, but the white temples tend to dust." In the 110th chapter of the romance of the Three Kingdoms written by Luo Guanzhong in the Ming Dynasty, it is said: "the general's achievements have been accomplished, and his prestige has been greatly shaken. If he advances today, if he is not satisfied, it will be like painting a snake and adding feet."

other

The fifth chapter of "traces of the moon and flowers": This is also a fact. It's not a Book maker's story. Lao She's four generations in the same hall: "he thinks that he is worthy of Qian's family. He can't do anything special to add to the story." Zhou Erfu's the morning of Shanghai, Part 4: "he wanted to go on and say it, but he thought it was just adding to the cake, so he had to sit still with regret."

Analysis of Idioms

A derogatory term. [grammatical structure] the continuous verb is used as the object. It's just the right thing to make the finishing point.

Idiom story

In ancient times, there was a family in the state of Chu. After sacrificing to their ancestors, they prepared to give a pot of wine to the people who helped them. There are a lot of people who help. If everyone drinks this pot of wine, it's not enough. If one person drinks it, it's more than enough. How to divide this pot of wine? When everyone was quiet, someone suggested that everyone draw a snake on the ground, and whoever can draw fast will drink the pot of wine. Everyone thinks this method is good and agrees to do so. So he drew snakes on the ground. there was a man who painted very quickly. In a flash, he was the first to finish the painting, so he took up the bottle to drink. But when he looked back at the others, he didn't draw well. I thought to myself: they are so slow. He said triumphantly, "how slow you are! It's not too late for me to draw a few more feet for the snake! " So he held the wine pot in his left hand and drew feet for the snake in his right. While he was drawing feet for the snake and talking, another man had already done it. The man immediately snatched the jug from his hand and said, "have you ever seen a snake? A snake has no feet. Why do you add feet to it? So the first one to draw a snake is not you, but me! "After that, the man looked up and drank the wine.

Introduction to Idioms

original text

If there is a temple in Chu, he will give his sacrificial person wine. The sacrificial person says to each other, "if several people can't drink enough, if one person can drink more, please draw the ground as a snake, and the first one can drink." A man and a snake come first. He leads wine and drinks it. He holds a snake in his left hand and draws a snake in his right hand, saying, "I can do it." Before it was finished, a man's snake was finished. He snatched it and said, "a snake has no feet. Can Zi an do it?" Then he drank his wine. For the foot of the snake, the end of its wine.

translation

There was a man engaged in sacrificial activities in the state of Chu. After sacrificial activities, he took out a pot of wine and gave it to the guests. The guests discussed with each other and said, "it's not enough for everyone to drink this pot of wine, but it's enough for one person to drink it. We are competing to draw snakes on the ground, and the first one will drink this pot of wine. " A man drew a snake first. He picked up the wine pot and was about to drink it, but he held the wine pot in his left hand and continued to draw the snake in his right hand, saying, "I can draw its feet." Before he finished, another man had already finished drawing the snake. He grabbed the pot and said, "the snake has no feet. How can you draw feet for it?" Then he drank the wine from the pot. The man who painted the snake's feet finally lost the wine.

notes

1. Ancestral temple (C í): sacrifice. The nobles of the Zhou Dynasty offered sacrifices to their ancestors all the year round, and each season had a special name for sacrifice. Spring sacrifice was called "ancestral temple". Temple: the official in charge of sacrifice. 2. Sheren: the door guest, the person who works under him. 3. 卮 (zh ī): an ancient wine container, similar to a pot. Mutual reference: to discuss with each other. 5. Please draw a snake on the ground. To paint (the process of painting) on the ground. For the snake: draw the snake (the result of drawing). 6. Drink the wine: pick up the wine pot and prepare to drink. Quote: take, lift. 7. A snake has no feet: a snake has no feet. Gu: originally, originally. 8. Zi: the honorific name for people, you; you. An Neng: how can I. Therefore: then; then. 12. Reward: in ancient times, it was called "reward" when the elder gave something to the younger. 13. For feet: draw feet on it. Feet: draw feet. Final: final, final. 15. Quote: pick up. 16. And: prepare. 17. Cheng: finished. 18. Yu: surplus. Foot: foot. Death: loss, loss. For: here, for. He said: his, refers to the snake who became the first 24. Then drink his wine: Na, a demonstrative pronoun 25. Finally die his wine: Na, a demonstrative pronoun 26. Say: say to.

The meaning of Idioms

analysis

Later, according to this story, people extended the idiom "paint a snake and add feet", which means that some people think they are smart and often do superfluous things, but they do things badly. It's a metaphor to say that it's a bad thing to do too much.

Analysis and comments

This story tells us that a snake originally had no feet, but the person who painted it first added feet to the snake, so it didn't become a snake. The snake had no feet, but it was forced to add feet to it. This is a metaphor for doing too much, but it is a bad thing. In the words of the countryside, six fingers scratch more. Later, he used the metaphor of "drawing a snake to add to a foot" to show that people should be practical and realistic in everything they do. They should not show off their intelligence. Otherwise, instead of doing things well, they will screw things up. The 110th chapter of the famous book romance of the Three Kingdoms: "Zhang Yi remonstrated:" the general's achievements have been achieved, and his prestige has been greatly shaken. Now if he advances, if he is not satisfied, it will be like painting a snake and adding feet. " Tell people to be practical and realistic in everything they do, and not show off their intelligence, otherwise they will not do things well, but they will screw things up. it is safe for the country, the people or yourself. The significance of this story is superficial, and the lesson of "painting a snake and adding feet" is worth remembering. Don't lose what you should have because of a small mistake. "For the foot of the snake, the wine will die. "What a pity!

Reveal the truth

1. Don't do too much, or sometimes you will lose something, which is not worth the loss. It's not only useless but harmful to do too much No matter what you do, you should respect objective facts and seek truth from facts. 3. To do a thing, we must have specific requirements and clear goals. We must pursue and accomplish it with clear and firm will, and do not be carried away by victory. People who are carried away by victory are often blinded by blind optimism and lead to failure. 4. Follow the natural law in everything, don't overdo it, otherwise it will be self defeating.

Making sentences with idioms

1. Writing more of this sentence, not only does not enhance the expressive force, but it has become the icing on the cake. 2. When we write a composition, we must be careful and appropriate. We must never add to it. 3. Don't be obsessed with work, so as to avoid the loss of nature. Isn't it superfluous for you to paint like this? 5. It's obviously finished, and you'll find some faults again. It's really superfluous. I told you to go shopping in the street, but I didn't ask you to cook. It's really superfluous. 7. The last paragraph of this article is unnecessary. It's just superfluous. 8. It's a good thing, but it turns out to be a bad thing after his description. 9. This makes me understand a truth that we should do things just enough and not add to the cake. 10. It is precisely because he added a few words to the story that things would fail.

Idiom Jielong

Draw a snake and add a foot to a foot to feed a foot to fight a foot to fight a foot to fight an irresistible force to break a bamboo basket to draw water from a bamboo basket to kill a fish with a mother's eye to eat a shrimp and a crab to defeat a fish with a shrimp and a crab to defeat a fish with a shrimp and a crab to fight a fish with a shrimp and a crab to defeat a fish with a shrimp and a shrimp to draw water from a bamboo basket to draw water from a fish with a shrimp and a crab to make up for a fish with a fish in a fish's eye Fu Fenggu → soft muscles and nerves → numbness → benevolent and righteous soldiers → soldiers and chariots meeting → meeting people in a hurry → mistakes in a hurry → falling at random → getting off the train at the beginning → abandoning the old and ushering in the new → new people and new things → disobeying one's heart → disobeying the strong and the weak → staying in the wind and water → old scholars → elegant and romantic scholars → wandering in the rivers and lakes → scenery of lakes and mountains → lust inspires the soul → isolation from the world → forsaking saints and wisdom → wisdom is small Seeking greatness → showing off one's skills → not letting go of one's work → taking up one's position in a mess → bad intentions → intermingled good and bad → making concerted efforts → striving for the upper reaches → playing with the brush and ink → not getting dry yet → running clean and neat → falling into the wilderness → desperate → rare and rare → strange → strange flowers and plants → hasty withdrawal of troops → bloodless → solving problems with ease → valuable → noble officials

Chinese PinYin : huà shé tiān zú