画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) — Chinese word meaning

兴 xīng to be popular; to be in vogue 再 zài twice; a second time 前 qián front; the direction one faces (opposite of 后) 天 tiān sky 子 zǐ child (son or daughter in ancient usage); now specifically son 师 shī teacher; instructor (one who imparts knowledge or skills) 本 běn root or stem of a plant 正 zhèng straight; upright (opposite of crooked or tilted) 百 bǎi hundred (the number 100) 贵 guì expensive; of high value (opposite of 贱)

或 huò perhaps; maybe 更 gēng to change; to replace; to substitute 末 mò tip or end of an object 求 qiú to beg, to implore 演 yǎn to evolve; to change gradually 直 zhí straight; not curved (opposite of 曲) 行 xíng to walk; to go

拯 zhěng to rescue, to save 朱 zhū vermilion, bright red 胚 pēi embryo; organism in early development, formed from fertilized or unfertilized egg 蒙 méng ignorant, lacking knowledge 贮 zhù to store; to stockpile 逆 nì to go in the opposite direction (opposite of 顺) 遣 qiǎn to dispatch; to send 陋 lòu ugly; unsightly 隆 lóng grand; magnificent

畜 chù animal; esp. domesticated beast 畴 chóu (lit.) cultivated farmland 畸 jī irregular, abnormal 苗 miáo seedling; tender shoots or leaves of certain vegetables

融 róng melt; soften when heated

蛀 zhù wood-boring or fabric-eating insect; moth; weevil 蛙 wā frog (amphibian that hatches from eggs as tadpoles, with no tail, long hind legs, short forelegs, and webbed toes; good at jumping and swimming; feeds on insects, beneficial to agriculture) 蛮 mán rude and unreasonable 蜡 là wax (solid fatty substance extracted from animals, plants, or petroleum) 蝇 yíng fly (insect); housefly 螃 páng crab (crustacean with a hard shell, claws, and sideways gait) 螺 luó snail or spiral-shelled mollusk (e.g. freshwater snail, conch, screw snail) 蟹 xiè crab; arthropod amphibious creature with a hard shell, clawed front legs, and a segmented abdomen 蠢 chǔn slow-witted, stupid, clumsy and inflexible 骚 sāo to disturb, to cause unrest

活 huó to live; to be alive (opposite of '死') 海 hǎi sea; ocean area near land (also used for large lakes, e.g. 青海, 里海) 清 qīng pure and clear, free of impurities (opposite of '浊'); ① purely, solely; ② quiet 渴 kě to be thirsty 满 mǎn full; filled to capacity 演 yǎn to evolve; to change gradually 澡 zǎo to bathe, wash the whole body 激 jī to strike with water; to stir up emotions

汤 tāng hot water; boiling water 油 yóu oil (liquid fat from animals or plants, or liquid hydrocarbon mixture from minerals) 泼 pō to splash or spill liquid forcefully 洋 yáng ocean (the vast body of salt water covering about 70% of Earth's surface, divided into four parts: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans) 洲 zhōu continent (one of the seven major landmasses of the earth) 流 liú to flow (of liquid) 济 jì cross a river; ford 浪 làng wave; billow on rivers, lakes, or seas 消 xiāo to gradually diminish until gone; to vanish 深 shēn deep (opposite of shallow) 温 wēn neither cold nor hot; lukewarm 漫 màn to overflow (water spilling over) 落 luò to fall; to drop down

沿 yán along (a river, road, or edge of something) 泛 fàn to float; to drift 泪 lèi tears; colorless liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands of the eye 洒 sǎ to sprinkle or scatter water or other things on the ground 洞 dòng cave; hole; hollow or deep recess in an object 浅 qiǎn shallow (opposite of 'deep') 浇 jiāo to pour liquid onto something 测 cè to measure; to gauge using instruments or standards 浏 liú (lit.) clear and limpid (of water) 浓 nóng (of liquid or gas) thick; dense (opposite of 淡) 润 rùn to moisten; to add oil or water to prevent dryness 涨 zhǎng to rise (of water level) 淡 dàn dilute; thin (of liquid or gas, opposite of 浓) 渐 jiàn gradually; little by little 湖 hú lake (large body of water surrounded by land) 湿 shī wet; damp; moist (opposite of 干) 源 yuán source of water, where a stream originates (opposite of 流) 滑 huá smooth; slippery (low friction) 滚 gǔn to roll; to tumble 漏 lòu to drip, seep, or fall through a hole or crack 漠 mò desert; arid sandy region 范 fàn (lit.) mold; model 薄 bó slight, little

洁 jié clean; pure; free of impurities 洪 hóng large; great 浮 fú to float on the surface of a liquid (opposite of '沉') 浴 yù to bathe; to take a bath 涉 shè to wade across water; to cross over water 涌 yǒng to gush; (of water) to bubble up; (of clouds) to rise 液 yè liquid; a fluid substance with definite volume but no fixed shape 涵 hán to contain; to encompass 淋 lín to drip or splash onto a surface 淘 táo to rinse (granular material) in water to remove impurities 混 hùn to mix (different things) together 淹 yān to submerge; to flood 添 tiān to add; to increase 渠 qú waterway, especially an artificially dug canal or ditch 渡 dù to cross (a river or body of water) 港 gǎng harbor or port where large ships can dock 滴 dī to drip (liquid falls drop by drop) 漱 shù to rinse the mouth with water 潜 qián to submerge; to dive underwater 潮 cháo tidal phenomenon; rise and fall of seawater due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon

沐 mù to wash one's hair; to bathe, wash 沛 pèi (lit.) abundant; copious; vigorous 沧 cāng dark green (of water) 沫 mò foam; froth (tiny bubbles formed by a liquid) 沮 jǔ to stop; to obstruct 沸 fèi to boil (of a liquid heated to the point of rapid vaporization) 沼 zhǎo natural pond; marsh 沾 zhān to soak; to moisten 泄 xiè (of liquid or gas) to discharge, to leak out 泊 bó to moor a boat; to dock 泌 mì to secrete (a substance from a living organism) 泞 nìng (lit.) accumulated mud; mire 波 bō waves on the surface of water (rivers, lakes, seas, etc.) 泣 qì to weep silently or softly 泻 xiè to flow down rapidly (of liquid) 津 jīn ford; river crossing 洽 qià harmonious; in accord 浊 zhuó (of water, air, etc.) murky, impure, turbid — opposite of 清 浑 hún murky; turbid (of water) 浩 hào vast, grand, magnificent 浸 jìn to soak in liquid; to steep 涂 tú to apply (paint, ointment, etc.) by spreading or brushing onto a surface 涕 tì tears 涛 tāo large waves 涝 lào waterlogged (of crops flooded by excessive rain, opposite of 旱) 涡 wō whirlpool; eddy formed by rotating water 涤 dí to wash 涩 sè rough; not smooth (high friction) 涮 shuàn to swish in water to rinse lightly 涯 yá water's edge; shore; boundary 淀 diàn shallow lake (used in place names) 淆 xiáo confused, mixed up, disordered 淌 tǎng （of liquid）to flow down, to trickle 淤 yū to silt up; to become clogged with sediment 淳 chún a surname 渔 yú to fish; to catch fish 渗 shèn to seep; to permeate slowly 渣 zhā residue left after extracting the essence or juice 渺 miǎo vast and boundless (of water) 湃 pài used in '澎湃': ① waves crashing loudly against each other; ② (fig.) surging emotions; ③ (fig.) grand and imposing momentum 湛 zhàn deep 湾 wān a bend or curve in a river 溃 kuì breach (of a dike by floodwater) 溅 jiàn (of liquid) to splash, to spatter 溉 gài (lit.) to irrigate; to water 溜 liū to glide; to slide (downward) 溢 yì to overflow; to brim over 溪 xī small stream or brook 溯 sù to go against the current 溶 róng to dissolve (a substance uniformly distributed in another to form a solution) 溺 nì to drown; to be submerged in water 滋 zī to grow, to sprout 滔 tāo floodwaters overflowing 滞 zhì to stagnate, accumulate, not flow freely 滤 lǜ to filter; to strain (liquid or gas through gauze, charcoal, sand, etc. to remove impurities) 滥 làn to overflow; to flood 滨 bīn waterside; place near water 滩 tān beach; shoal; sandbank (flat land formed by silt along rivers, lakes, or seas) 漆 qī general term for viscous coating materials (paint/lacquer) 漾 yàng ripple on the water surface 潇 xiāo (lit.) clear and deep (of water) 潦 liáo see "潦草": ① (handwriting) untidy; ② (work) careless, sloppy 潭 tán deep pool; deep pit; by extension: deep 澄 chéng clear and transparent (of water) 澈 chè clear and transparent (of water) 澎 péng used in "澎湖" (Penghu Islands, in the southeastern Taiwan Strait) 澜 lán large waves; billows 濒 bīn to border on (a body of water) 瀑 pù waterfall 瀚 hàn (lit.) vast; boundless 灌 guàn to irrigate; to water 茫 máng vast and boundless, indistinct 萍 píng duckweed; aquatic herb floating on water surface with flat oval leaves and hanging roots 衍 yǎn (lit.) to develop and elaborate; to extend and unfold