Drawing Snakes and Adding Feet
楚有祠者，赐其舍人卮酒。舍人相谓曰：数人饮之不足，一人饮之有余。请画地为蛇，先成者饮酒。一人蛇先成，引酒且饮之，乃左手持卮，右手画蛇曰：吾能为之足。未成，一人之蛇成，夺其卮曰：蛇固无足，子安能为之足？遂饮其酒。
In Chu, there was a man who offered a cup of wine to his followers. They said that several people drinking would not be enough, but one person drinking would be too much. They suggested drawing a snake on the ground, and the one who finished first would drink the wine. One mans snake was finished first, but he said while holding the wine, I can even draw feet for the snake. Before he finished, another man finished his snake and took the wine, saying, Snakes originally have no feet, how could you add feet for it? So he drank the wine.
做事要恰到好处，过犹不及。
Do things just right, too much is as bad as not enough.
After the moral, ask one question: if a similar choice showed up today, where does the story snag? Name that tension first—then take your own step. You need not copy the ancients, only borrow their clarity.