濫竽充數

A story in Han Feizi:

齊宣王使人吹竽必三百人。
南郭處士請為王吹竽，宣王說之，廩食以數百人。
宣王死，湣王立，好一一聽之，處士逃。 [Classical Chinese, trad.][▼ expand/hide]

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齐宣王使人吹竽必三百人。
南郭处士请为王吹竽，宣王说之，廪食以数百人。
宣王死，湣王立，好一一听之，处士逃。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Han Feizi, circa 2^nd century BCE

Qí Xuānwáng shǐ rén chuī yú bì sān bǎi rén.
Nánguō chǔshì qǐng wèi wáng chuī yú, Xuānwáng yuè zhī, lǐnshí yǐ shù bǎi rén.
Xuānwáng sǐ, Mǐnwáng lì, hào yīyī tīng zhī, chǔshì táo. [Pinyin]

Whenever King Xuan of Qi had men play the yu [a musical instrument], there had to be 300 men playing simultaneously.
A reclusive scholar, by the name of Nanguo [lit. southern wall of a city], who was unable to play the instrument, asked if he could join the ensemble and play the yu for the king. King Xuan was delighted by this, and dispensed enough food rations for several hundred musicians.
Then, King Xuan died, and King Min took the throne. He preferred to listen to the yu players one-by-one, so the reclusive scholar fled. (Wiktionary translation)

濫竽充數

1. (figuratively, derogatory) to fill a position without having the necessary qualifications; to be a token member of a group; to masquerade as having an ability; to sell seconds at best-quality prices