| Chinese Fable Stories | |
No More Tricks, Mr. Nan Guo!
In the Warring States period of China (475-221 B.C.), there was a state called Qi, the king of
which was very fond of listening to the music played on the Yu, a wind instrument. So he convened
a band of more than 300 players from his state. Everyday the band was called in to play the Yu
for his Majesty at teatime. And the king seemed to be very satisfied with the band and
the harmonies performed.
As a matter of fact, one of the players, Nan Guo, knew nothing about the instrument. But he did
manage to pass himself off and went on well with his tricks that each time he tried to seat
himself behind and pretended to be playing the Yu together with the others. And everything
seemed good for him. He had never been exposed.
Finally, his days were gone when the prince ascended the throne. As the latter would enjoy solo
rather than harmony, the players were called each in to play alone before the king. This time,
as we have guessed, Nan Guo was embarrassed to find there was no place for him any more.
The story describes the case in which the spurious is mixed with the genuine.
