Xiangsheng
/ˌʃjɑːŋˈʃʌŋ/noun
A traditional Chinese comic performance featuring dialogue, wordplay, mimicry, and storytelling, usually performed by one or two artists.
Did you know?Xiangsheng flourished in Beijing teahouses and often used homophones and double meanings to criticize officials or social customs without stating the accusation directly.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, before 200 CE
Old Chinese
相
“Mutual, facing one another, or observing one another”
Old Chinese, before 200 CE
Old Chinese
聲
“Sound, voice, or a spoken utterance”
Middle Chinese, 6th–10th Century
Middle Chinese
相聲
“The written compound combining “mutual” with “sound” or “voice””
Late Qing Dynasty, 18th–19th Century
Chinese
相聲
“A developing form of comic oral performance and witty dialogue”
20th Century
Mandarin
xiàngsheng
“A professional Chinese comic art, especially associated with Beijing performance culture”
Modern English
English
xiangsheng
“A Chinese comic dialogue or crosstalk performance tradition”