English–Chinese
“do something unnecessary” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinhuà shé tiān zú
Example
这件事处理得很好，不要再画蛇添足。zhè jiàn shì chú lǐ de hěn hǎo bú yào zài huà shé tiān zú
This matter has been handled well, so do not do anything unnecessary.
How to say “do something unnecessary” in Chinese
“Do something unnecessary” in Chinese is 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú).
The hand keeps working after the job is complete and makes the result worse.
Example sentences with 画蛇添足
在设计上过多装饰只会画蛇添足。zài shè jì shàng guò duō zhuāng shì zhǐ huì huà shé tiān zú
Too much decoration in a design only makes it unnecessarily elaborate.
Tips for using 画蛇添足
- The expression is useful when a small late revision creates a problem, especially in group work where an agreed result is already in place.