The adult Chi Lian snake is about 1 meter long, and its back is dark brown and red (red-brown). It is named for the narrow horizontal stripes of red (red-brown) above 51~87+12~30, but some individuals lack red stripes.

The cheek scales of the red snake often go into the orbit. The back of the head is black, the scale margins are red, there is a ∧-shaped red spot on the occiput, and there is a black stripe behind the orbit to the seventh upper lip scale. The dorsal scales are smooth, or there are a few rows of microribs in the center of the posterior segment of the body, 19(17, 20, 21)-17(19)-15(17), and the number of rows in the middle segment of a specimen from Chong'an, Fujian is 21. Ventral scale male 188-224, female 184-222. Aliases are red forty-eight knots, red long insects, red-spotted snakes, safflower seeds, dry fire chains, red hundred-section snakes, blood three-shift, chain snakes, mulberry roots, neem roots, etc. The body exudes the stench of rotten fish.