S4E01 | The Four Legged Snake | 画蛇添足
Saying: “To draw legs on a snake”
Pinyin: Huà shé tiān zú
Chinese: 画蛇添足
Welcome back to the fourth season of the Chinese Sayings Podcast...after three years and seven months, we continue on where we left off with another story behind one of the great Chinese Sayings, or chengyu. This time around we harken back to the classic ”Strategies of the Warring States" to look at the tale of drawing legs on a snake.
Don't forget, the Chinese terms from CSP episodes are all listed for you down below.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Huà Shé Tiān Zú. | 画蛇添足 | To draw legs on a snake |
| Huà | 画 | To draw, also a noun for a drawing, painting or picture |
| Shé | 蛇 | a snake |
| Tiān | 添 | to add or increase |
| Zú | 足 | foot or leg |
| Zhànguó Cè | 战国策 | “Strategies from the Warring States” an ancient Chinese text that contains anecdotes of political manipulation and warfare during the Warring States period (5th to 3rd centuries BC) |
| Eastern Zhou Dynasty | 东周 | Second half of the Zhou Dynasty that ran roughly 770-256 BCE and was further divided up into the Spring and Autum and Warring States periods |
| Yíng Zhèng | 嬴政 | 259-210 BCE, King of Qin from 247-221 BCE and Emperor of China from 221-210 BCE |
| Qín | 秦 | First a kingdom based in and around Shaanxi province and later from 221 to 206 BCE, a dynasty (albeit short-lived) |
| Chūchù | 出处 | source (of a quotation or allusion) |
| Qí Cè Èr | 齐策二 | The chapter from the “Strategies from the Warring States” that contains the chengyu Huà Shé Tiān Zú |
| Chǔ | 楚 | Kingdom located around Hubei mostly that ran from 1030-223 BCE |
| Húběi | 湖北 | Province in Central China |
| Húnán | 湖南 | Province in Central China located just south of Hubei |
| Huà Lóng Diǎn Jīng | 画龙点睛 | To dot the eye of a dragon, meaning to make one final addition that totally makes the painting or work of art |
| lóng | 龙 | a dragon |
| diǎnjīng | 点睛 | To "dot the eye" |
