waak6 se4 tim1 zuk1畫蛇添足画蛇添足

Jyutpingwaak6 se4 tim1 zuk1

Yalewaahk sèh tīm jūk

語句

Definition

To ruin the effect by adding something superfluous; to overdo it and make things worse.

neutraldescriptions

How it's used

Idioms like this are often used to critique someone who tries too hard to improve a situation but ends up causing a negative outcome. It carries a slightly formal tone despite being used in daily speech, often appearing in professional or academic contexts when evaluating work. It implies that the original state was sufficient or even optimal before the unnecessary addition.

Examples

nei5你ji5已ging1經se2寫dak1得hou2好jyun4完mei5美，m4唔sai2使zoi3再gaa1加je5嘢waak6畫se4蛇tim1添zuk1足laa3喇。

You have already written it perfectly, no need to add anything and ruin it.

keoi5佢ni1呢go3個goi2改dung6動gaan2簡zik6直hai6係waak6畫se4蛇tim1添zuk1足，gaau2搞dou3到go3個cit3設gai3計hou2好gwaai3怪。

His change is simply superfluous, making the design look very strange.

Common phrases

gaan2簡zik6直hai6係waak6畫se4蛇tim1添zuk1足

simply superfluous

Common mistake

Learners often use this to describe any mistake, but it specifically refers to adding something extra that was not needed. It is not appropriate for describing a simple error or a failure to complete a task.