When to Use This Idiom
Use 画蛇添足 when someone:
- Adds unnecessary elements that spoil something good
- Over-complicates a simple solution
- Can't leave well enough alone
Example Sentences
你的文章已经很好了，再加这段话就是画蛇添足。
Nǐ de wénzhāng yǐjīng hěn hǎo le, zài jiā zhè duàn huà jiùshì huà shé tiān zú.
Your article is already good; adding this paragraph would be overdoing it.
这个设计简洁有力，不要画蛇添足。
Zhège shèjì jiǎnjié yǒulì, bùyào huà shé tiān zú.
This design is clean and powerful; don't overdo it.