Chinese Idiom

滥竽充数🔊

Làn Yú Chōng Shù
📚 Idioms⏱ 3 min read🎧 Audio

This idiom means pretending to have skills one does not possess.

The Story 🔊

Qí Xuānwáng xǐhuan tīng chuī yú érqiě yào sānbǎi rén yìqǐ chuī
齐宣王Qí Xuānwáng🔊喜欢xǐhuan🔊tīng🔊吹竽chuī yú🔊而且érqiě🔊yào🔊三百人sānbǎi rén🔊一起yìqǐ🔊chuī🔊
Nánguō xiānshēng gēnběn bú huì chuī yú què hùn zài yuèduì lǐ zhuāngmúzuòyàng
南郭先生Nánguō xiānshēng🔊根本gēnběn🔊不会bú huì🔊吹竽chuī yú🔊què🔊混在hùn zài🔊乐队yuèduì🔊🔊装模作样zhuāngmúzuòyàng🔊
Qí Mǐnwáng jìwèi hòu yào měi gè rén dāndú chuī yú
齐湣王Qí Mǐnwáng🔊继位后jìwèi hòu🔊yào🔊每个人měi gè rén🔊单独dāndú🔊吹竽chuī yú🔊
Nánguō xiānshēng zhǐhǎo tōutōu táozǒu le
南郭先生Nánguō xiānshēng🔊只好zhǐhǎo🔊偷偷tōutōu🔊逃走了táozǒu le🔊
English Translation:
King Xuan of Qi liked listening to the yu being played, and wanted three hundred people to play together. Mr. Nanguo could not play the yu at all, but hid in the orchestra pretending. After King Min of Qi succeeded to the throne, he wanted each person to play the yu alone. Mr. Nanguo had to flee secretly.

Key Vocabulary

滥竽充数
làn yú chōng shù
pretend to play the yu
吹竽
chuī yú
play the yu instrument
装模作样
zhuāngmúzuòyàng
put on an act
混在
hùn zài
hide among
单独
dāndú
alone
逃走
táozǒu
flee

The Moral

You can't fake it forever! This idiom means passing oneself off as qualified when one is not.

Cultural Insight

滥竽充数 comes from "Han Feizi" (韩非子).