6 Clever Chinese Idioms With Snake (蛇)
Learn Chinese idioms featuring the snake (蛇), representing wisdom, caution, and hidden dangers.
The snake (蛇, shé) represents wisdom, caution, and sometimes hidden danger in Chinese culture. These idioms often teach valuable lessons about awareness and strategy.
画蛇添足
huà shé tiān zúRuin by adding extras
Literal: Draw snake add feet
The ancient parable tells of an artist who lost a wine-drinking contest because he spent extra time adding legs to his snake drawing (画蛇添足). The story entered common usage during the Han Dynasty as a warning against ruining sufficiency through unnecessary additions. Today it reminds us how overelabo...
Example
The excessive explanations only confused the simple concept
过多的解释反而让简单的概念变得混乱
杯弓蛇影
bēi gōng shé yǐngNeedlessly suspicious
Literal: Bow in cup snake shadow
This tale from the Jin Dynasty chronicles a scholar who saw a bow's (弓) reflection in his cup (杯), mistaking it for a snake (蛇) shadow (影). His subsequent illness from fear only subsided when he discovered the truth. First recorded in 'Jin Shu', the story resonated with Buddhist teachings about how ...
Example
The team's excessive caution about minor changes paralyzed decision-making
团队对小变化的过度警惕导致决策瘫痪
虎头蛇尾
hǔ tóu shé wěiStrong start with weak finish
Literal: Tiger head snake tail
Tang Dynasty literary critics gave us this image of a tiger's head (虎头) with a snake's tail (蛇尾) to describe works that begin powerfully but end weakly. Song Dynasty writers expanded it beyond literature to any project showing declining quality over time. The zoological mismatch perfectly captured t...
Example
The novel began with dramatic intensity but ended with a weak, rushed conclusion
这部小说开头激烈，但以弱且仓促的结尾收场
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