In the state of Chu there was a man who was sacrificing to his ancestors; he offered his retainers a goblet of wine. The retainers spoke among themselves saying:” If several people drink it, there will not be enough; if one person drinks it, there will be some left over. Let us draw a snake on the ground; the one who finishes first drinks the wine.” One person finished the snake first.
He drew the wine goblet to himself and was about to drink. Whereupon, holding the goblet in his left hand, he drew the snake with his right hand, saying:” I can add some feet to it.” Before he had finished drawing the feet, another person’s snake was finished. That person snatched away that goblet saying:” Snakes originally do not have feet; how is it that you can add feet to them?” That person thereupon drank that goblet. The person who added feet to the snake lost his wine in the end. |
