Yuis a kind of music instruments in ancient times. It's said thatYuwas originally made byNuwa, the legendary mother ancestor. The instrument has a history of 3,000 years according to the recordation inJiaguwen(scripts on tortoise shells and animal bones) excavated from the Yin Ruins.
During the Warring States Period (475-221BC), the King of the Qi State was very fond of listening toYuensembles. He often got together 300Yuplayers to stage a grand music performance. The king treated his musicians very well. A man named Nanguo heard about that and he managed to become a member of the band, even though he was not good at playing the instrument at all. Whenever the band played for the king, Nanguo just stood in the line and pretended to play. Nobody realized he was making no sound at all. As a result, he enjoyed his treatment just as the other musicians did. When the king died, his son became the new ruler who also liked the music played on theYu. However, he preferred solos so that he ordered the musicians to play theYuone by one. Therefore, Nanguo had to run out of the palace.
The idiom "Be there just to make up the number" is used to mock someone who passes for a specialist. You can also hear people saying it about themselves to show their modesty.
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