During the Warring States Period the king of Ch'i loved to hear the music of a reed instrument called the Yu played in concert, and hired a palace orchestra of 300 Yu musicians. At that time there lived a man named Nankuo, who lacked both money and talent. Posing as a musician, he applied for a position in the palace orchestra. Unawares, the king hired the imposter and provided him with a generous salary. Nankuo remained undiscovered among the large group of musicians.
When the king passed away, his successor preferred to hear the Yu played by soloists. When called upon to perform for the new king, Nankuo's incompetence was discovered.
Later, a person lacking in talent and incompetent in his job came to be called "Filling a Position in a Yu Orchestra".
(Jill Ardourel)
