make up the number; serve as a stopgap
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to make up the number; to fill a vacancy with an unqualified person or inferior item
Often implies inadequacy or a temporary, substandard solution. Used literally and metaphorically.
Wǒ我
men们
yuè乐
duì队
quē缺
gè个
gǔ鼓
shǒu手
，
nǐ你
lái来
chōng充
shù数
ba吧
。
Our band is short a drummer; come make up the number.
Zhè这
fèn份
bào报
gào告
lǐ里
de的
shù数
jù据
hěn很
chà差
，
chún纯
cuì粹
shì是
wèi为
le了
chōng充
shù数
。
The data in this report is very poor; it's purely there to make up the numbers.
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Zhè这
xiē些
pián便
yi宜
de的
shāng商
pǐn品
zhǐ只
shì是
wèi为
le了
zài在
huò货
jià架
shàng上
chōng充
shù数
。
These cheap goods are just there to fill the shelves.
Làn滥
yú竽
chōng充
shù数
zhè这
ge个
chéng成
yǔ语
jiù就
fěng讽
cì刺
le了
zhè这
zhǒng种
xiàn现
xiàng象
。
The idiom 'làn yú chōng shù' satirizes this very phenomenon.