Definition
This chengyu comes from an ancient story: a man who couldn't play the yu (a wind instrument) pretended to play in a large ensemble to get paid, but fled when the king demanded solo performances. It describes someone who holds a position or joins a group without the necessary skills, just to make up numbers or gain benefits. Use it critically about a person or their work.
id.
to hold a position without the required qualificationsto be a token member just to make up the numbers
Examples
- 滥竽充数，。Tā zài gōngsī lǐ zhǐshì làn yú chōng shù, shénme shíjì gōngzuò dōu bú zuò.He's just a token member in the company; he doesn't do any real work.
- 滥竽充数，。Zhège tuánduì lǐ yǒu rén làn yú chōng shù, yǐngxiǎng le zhěngtǐ xiàolǜ.There are people in this team who are just making up numbers, which affects overall efficiency.
- ，滥竽充数。Zhāopìn shí yídìng yào yángé kǎohé, bìmiǎn làn yú chōng shù de qíngkuàng.When hiring, you must strictly evaluate candidates to avoid the situation of having unqualified people filling positions.
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