In the past a family in the State of Chu made sacrificial offers to their ancestors, and after that they rewarded the people who helped in the ceremony with the pot of wine used in it.

　　There were many helpers but only one pot of wine. Who should drink it? Someone suggested: "Each person is to draw a snake on the ground. Whoever draws fastest and most lifelike will get the pot of wine."

　　Everyone thought this was a good idea.

　　One man drew very fast, finished it in the twinkling1 of an eye, and was given the pot of wine. At this moment, he saw that the others had not yet finished, so he wanted to flaunt2 his skill once more. He said proudly: "How slow you are! Let me add a few snake feet."

　　Holding the wine pot in his left hand, he began to add feet to the finished snake with his right hand. When he was just adding feet to the snake, another man finished his drawing. He grabbed3 the wine pot at once, saying: "A snake has no feet. How could you add feet to it? The first one who finished drawing a snake is I, not you."

　　Having said this, the man drank the wine with an easy conscience4.

　　從前，楚國(guó)有一戶(hù)人家，祭完祖宗以后，把一壺祭祀時(shí)用過(guò)的酒，賞給幫助辦事的人喝。

　　辦事的人很多，可是酒只有一壺，到底給誰(shuí)喝呢？有人提議說(shuō)：“各人都在地上畫(huà)一條蛇，誰(shuí)畫(huà)得快、畫(huà)得像，就把這壺酒給誰(shuí)喝。”

　　大家都認(rèn)為這個(gè)辦法很好。

　　有一個(gè)人畫(huà)得很快，一轉(zhuǎn)眼，就把蛇畫(huà)好了。這壺酒應(yīng)該歸他?？墒?，這時(shí)候，他看看別人都沒(méi)有畫(huà)好，就想再炫耀一下自己的能耐。他得意洋洋地說(shuō)：“你們畫(huà)得多慢啊，讓我再畫(huà)上幾只蛇腳吧！”

　　他左手拿著酒壺，右手又開(kāi)始給畫(huà)好了的蛇添上腳。當(dāng)他正在添足的時(shí)候，另一個(gè)人卻把蛇畫(huà)好了，而且立刻把酒壺奪了過(guò)去，說(shuō)：“蛇是沒(méi)有腳的，你怎么畫(huà)上了腳?第一個(gè)畫(huà)好蛇的是我，不是你哩！”

　　那人說(shuō)完話(huà)，就心安理得地喝起酒來(lái)。