添足(Add Feet)

　　one day three men got a bottle of wine. but the wine was not enough for them three and each of them wanted to drink the wine alone. then they all agreed that they each would draw a snake on the ground and the one who first finished drawing would be given the wine. so they began to draw on the ground with sticks.

　　it was not long before one of the three finished drawing his snake. he found the other two were still busy with their drawings."how slow you are ! "said he, "i can even add feet to my snake before you finish yours."he put down the bottle and began to add feet to his snake. but before he finished, another man took hold of the bottle and said, "i've finished. snakes have no feet, so yours is not a snake."with these words he drank up the wine.

　　"添足"英语作文译文

　　从前，有3个人得到一壶酒，但酒不够这3个人喝，而且他们每个人都想独自占有。他们决定在地上画蛇，先画好的人就喝这壶酒。于是他们就开始在地上用木棍画。

　　不一会儿，其中一个人先画好了，他发现另两人还未画完，就说：“你们真慢啊!在你们画完之前，我还能给蛇添上脚呢!”于是，他放下酒壶，开始给蛇添足。但脚未画完，另一人拿起酒壶说，“我已把蛇画好了，蛇本来没有脚，你怎能给它添脚呢?”说着，他把酒一饮而尽。