Connecting with Chinese Students through Chéngyu: 畫蛇添足 (Hua She Tian Zu) – Draw Snake, Add Feet

Doing unnecessary work may spoil the final result

As ESL teachers working with Chinese students, we often search for ways to make our lessons more engaging, relevant, and culturally meaningful. One powerful strategy is to tap into students’ heritage. A great way to do this? Try to teach English through Chinese idioms – or chéngyu (成语).

What are Chéngyu?

Chéngyu (成语) are traditional Chinese idioms, made up of four specific characters, that carry a deep meaning, often tied to ancient stories, history, or philosophy. Most chéngyu are short and made up of exactly four Chinese characters, which makes them easy to remember but often hard to understand without context. Most likely, your students will recognize these instantly and be excited to explain the deeper meaning of these.

Draw Snake, Add Feet

This story comes from a popular tale from the Zhan Guo Ce, also known in English as the Strategies of the Warring States or Annals of the Warring States. This ancient Chinese text contains proverbs about proverbs and anecdotes during the Warring States period.

Once upon a time, a group of men in the ancient state of Chu were drinking together. One man offered a jug of wine as a prize to the one who could skillfully draw a snake the fastest. The best artist among the men finished his artwork swiftly, far before anyone else. Figuring he had substantial time to wait through, the man added some feet to his snake. Soon, the contest was deemed finished, and all the artworks were judged. Sadly, the man who had drawn the feet had made his snake not a snake at all. He was disqualified, and another man, a less talented artist, finished the contest and claimed the prize.

The term 畫蛇添足 (Hua She Tian Zu) – Draw Snake, Add Feet – is moralized as “adding unnecessary things can ruin the whole effort.”

Conclusion

Trading idioms between cultures is always an interesting warm-up during ESL lessons. It provides an opportunity to glean values and common knowledge across different countries. Learning a few Chéngyu is an excellent way to foster connections with your students.