The word "滥竽" is formed by combining the character "滥", meaning excessive or indiscriminate, with "竽", referring to an ancient Chinese reed pipe instrument. It originates from the historical idiom "滥竽充数", which describes a person fraudulently filling a role without real skill, based on the story of Nanguo who pretended to play the 竽 in an orchestra. In this compound, "滥" modifies "竽" to convey the idea of a counterfeit or unqualified performer in the context of this instrument.