画蛇添足

画蛇添足 [huà shé tiān zú]

1. ■ （比喻做多余的事， 反而不恰当） paint a snake with feet -- superfluous; add legs to one's sketch of a serpent; (The additional discourses on ...) are completely superfluous.; carry [send] coals to Newcastle; dangerous superfluity; draw a snake and add feet to it -- to spoil things by going to extremes; draw a snake with feet added to it -- redundant; fan the breezes; gild [paint] the lily; To overreach the mark is just as bad as not reaching it.; ruin the effect by adding what is superfluous; The action [measure; step] just taken was really unnecessary.