To Make Up the Number in the Yu Ensemble

A 'yu' is a traditional Chinese musical instrument which one plays by blowing. King Shiuan, ruler of the kingdom of Ch'i during the Warring States Period, loved to listen to this kind of music, and so he hired an ensemble of 300 yu players to go live in his palace.

One day, a poor man named Mr. Nau-guo, who was desperately in need of something to eat, sneaked into the palace and joined the yu ensemble. Unfortunately, Mr. Nau-guo could not play the yu at all, and so whenever the ensemble performed, he would have to pretend.

After King Shiuan died, King Min took over the throne. King Min also loved yu music, but he preferred to listen to solo performances, rather than to the whole ensemble playing together. So one day, he called each player in separately, and asked him to play a song. Mr. Nan-guo was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof, sure that if he were discovered, he would be found guilty of tricking the king. And so as quickly as possible, Mr. Nan-guo sneaked quietly away.

Today, we can use this idiom to refer to a person who has no real talent, but is part of a group only so that the group will have enough members.

濫竽充數

韓非是戰國後期法家代表人物，在他的代表作《韓非子﹒內儲說上》當中有一段非常簡短的文字，寫到一位南郭處士。

這位南郭先生是齊國人，齊國當時在位的君王是齊宣王，宣王非常喜歡聽一種古代的簧樂器竽吹奏出來的聲音，而且他喜歡聽合奏。他打算組織三百人的樂團，南郭先生是位讀書人，他學問淵博，但是因為家境清貧，常常餓肚子。聽說宣王要用豐富的口糧供養一大批吹竽的人，南郭處士於是就去央求宣王也讓他加入，宣王竟然也答應了，從此南郭先生成為三百名吹竽手之一。

每當宣王要聽竽合奏的時候，南郭先生就在樂團裏頭裝模作樣一番，反正人多他不吹出聲音，也沒有人知道，因為他裝的還挺有模有樣的，就這樣相安無事的過了好幾年。

後來宣王去世兒子泯王繼位，泯王因為從小耳濡目染，所以也喜歡竽吹出來的聲音，不同的是，他不喜歡聽合奏，他喜歡聽獨奏。於是，他就命令吹竽手一個個輪流吹給他聽，這下還了得，南郭先生本來就不會吹竽，如果要他在君王面前獨奏，肯定要露出馬腳，所以在輪到他之前，就逃之夭夭了。

濫竽充數這句成語就是出自這個典故，所以說，做哪一行一定要有那一行的真本事才行啊。後來用於比喻沒有真才實學的人混在行家裏充數，或是以次充好，有時也用作自謙之辭。