According to ancient legend, during the reign of the Yellow Emperor, a strange beast appeared on Liubo Mountain in the Eastern Sea. It resembled an ox but had no horns, was entirely blue-green, and stood on a single leg—yet it could race across the land as swift as the wind. Its eyes blazed bright as the sun by day and shone like the moon by night, and its roar was louder than thunder. The people called this creature Kui.
At that time, the local lords sent many warriors up the mountain to capture this Kui beast and presented it to the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor, finding such a fierce creature difficult to tame, had it killed, skinned, and made into a large drum. It was said that when this drum was struck, its sound could be heard five hundred li away.
During the time of Emperor Yao, a renowned musician named Kui emerged among the people. He was a master of melody, and it was said that whenever he struck the chime stone—a jade instrument of ancient China—a hundred beasts would rise and dance in harmony. Later, when Shun ascended the throne as emperor, his minister Chongli recommended Kui to serve as the Director of Music. Kui fully unleashed his talent, composing many beautiful and moving pieces that deeply pleased Emperor Shun.
Shun decided to send Kui to the various vassal states to spread these melodies. Chongli worried that Kui alone would not have enough manpower and wanted to find several more musicians to assist him. But Shun said, "The essence of music lies in harmony. A talent like Kui is more than enough with just one."
Kui was sent on a diplomatic mission across the land and carried out his duties brilliantly
In 643 BCE, King Cheng of Chu launched a campaign and wiped out the state of Kui. Yet Kui, a legendary musician of ancient times, saw his name continue to spread across the Central Plains for generations, wrapped in an aura of mystery.
In the late Spring and Autumn period, many people in the state of Lu confused Kui with the mythical beast Kui. Duke Ai of Lu even specifically asked Confucius, "I've heard that there was once a music master named Kui who had only one foot—is this true?"
When Confucius heard this, he chuckled and replied, "The one-legged Kui is a mythical beast from Mount Liubo in the Eastern Sea during the Yellow Emperor's era. The Kui you speak of is a man—how could he have only one leg? Long ago, Emperor Shun said, 'For music, one Kui is enough,' meaning a single person as skilled in melody as Kui is sufficient, not that he has only one foot!"
After hearing Confucius's explanation, Duke Ai of Lu suddenly understood and sincerely admired Confucius's vast knowledge and talent.
Later, people used the idiom "One Kui Is Enough" to mean that a single truly capable person is sufficient.
Source: *Lüshi Chunqiu*, Chapter "Examining Traditions"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "一夔已足" came to describe a single truly capable person is sufficient.