<p>Kind of hard to explain ...</p>

<p>It a traditional performing arts in China, usually performed by two performers, in the form of dialogue between the two performers.</p>

<p>It is a comedic performing art that would make people laugh.</p>

<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiangsheng">This is a short wiki article about it</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-08T08:20:16.780Z
Wiki is *the* source for this kind of cultural vocabulary.
Ciro Santilli OurBigBook.com
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T09:09:23.203Z
2012-01-10T09:09:23.203Z
fefe
<p>It's Chinese traditional talk show. Usually played by two persons.  But there is 单口相声 which played by one person.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T13:24:34.647Z
To forestall any potential confusion: I have heard many Chinese people refer to 相声 as 脱口秀 ("talk show"), but 相声 certainly doesn't match the vision most English speakers have of what talk show means. I'd consider 脱口秀 and talk show to be "false friends" in this case.
Alf
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T11:17:34.040Z
2012-01-10T11:17:34.040Z
Dan
<p>"相声" literally means "mutual voice." </p>

<p>Figuratively, it would refer to a "back and forth" dialog between two people, kind of like a ping pong game. Because no one is clearly dominant, it is a use of language that would be  considered a high art form. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-03T20:31:12.090Z
2013-02-03T20:31:12.090Z
Tom Au
<p>相声 or the cross talk is like a talk show, usually performed by 2 people. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-10T12:31:20.767Z
2015-04-10T12:31:20.767Z
Yuyu Zhao
<p>相声 is a form of Chinese traditional stand-up comedy where two two performers talk back and forth to each other, telling a funny story or just chatting about a humorous topic. Because it's a traditional Chinese art form and originates in northern China, it has a higher political status than other Chinese art forms. This means that it gets broadcasted across the country on CCTV a lot, and sinophiles like Mark Roswell get introduced to it when they are studying Chinese. </p>

<p>相声 performers who become make a name for themselves can establish their own styles and take on students to pass on their skills. Mr Roswell/Dashan's mentor was a performer named  姜昆. Dashan is not the only foreigner to have studied under a famous artist -- another name that I remember off the top of my head is Julien Gaudfroy (朱力安), a French student of Chinese who also studied 相声.</p>

<p>Probably the best way to get a better feel for 相声 would be to search for the term on Youtube, or if you're in China then search on Youku. Combine it with 大山 or 朱力安 to find videos of these talented performers.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T09:18:22.107Z
Dashan has said himself it is kind of like Abbott and Costello's 'whose on first'
going
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-11T08:03:29.787Z
Just today Dashan wrote a great answer to this very question, but on Quora; see the top answer here: http://www.quora.com/What-is-xiangsheng-and-what-makes-it-funny
msittig
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-11T09:13:21.510Z
Hopefully one day this site will be good enough for him to come and answer here! ;)
going
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-10T09:09:53.983Z
2012-01-10T09:09:53.983Z
msittig
<p>Today I read <a href="http://www.quora.com/Why-do-so-many-Chinese-learners-seem-to-hate-Dashan-Mark-Rowswell">a blog post</a> talking about a Canadian guy called Mark Rowswell (aka 大山) that appears on Chinese TV shows and who is able to do 相声. This 相声 is referred to as "the art of language".</p>

<p>What does 相声 exactly mean?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-29T06:22:06.387Z
The origin name is 像声, means **like the sound** literally. The performer imitates the sounds of all kind of animals. Later is changes to the **talking** form, and the name changes to 相声, one meaning of 相 is **physiognomy**. Now nobody cares the meaning of the character 相 and 声, they only know what the 相声 is.
xenophōn
<expressions><vocabulary><meaning>
What is the meaning of 相声?
# What is the meaning of 相声?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-01-10)

Today I read [a blog post](http://www.quora.com/Why-do-so-many-Chinese-learners-seem-to-hate-Dashan-Mark-Rowswell) talking about a Canadian guy called Mark Rowswell (aka 大山) that appears on Chinese TV shows and who is able to do 相声. This 相声 is referred to as "the art of language".

What does 相声 exactly mean?

**Tags:** expressions, vocabulary, meaning
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The origin name is 像声, means **like the sound** literally. The performer imitates the sounds of all kind of animals. Later is changes to the **talking** form, and the name changes to 相声, one meaning of 相 is **physiognomy**. Now nobody cares the meaning of the character 相 and 声, they only know what the 相声 is.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_8 on 2012-01-10. Score: 12 | Accepted answer

相声 is a form of Chinese traditional stand-up comedy where two two performers talk back and forth to each other, telling a funny story or just chatting about a humorous topic. Because it's a traditional Chinese art form and originates in northern China, it has a higher political status than other Chinese art forms. This means that it gets broadcasted across the country on CCTV a lot, and sinophiles like Mark Roswell get introduced to it when they are studying Chinese.

相声 performers who become make a name for themselves can establish their own styles and take on students to pass on their skills. Mr Roswell/Dashan's mentor was a performer named 姜昆. Dashan is not the only foreigner to have studied under a famous artist -- another name that I remember off the top of my head is Julien Gaudfroy (朱力安), a French student of Chinese who also studied 相声.

Probably the best way to get a better feel for 相声 would be to search for the term on Youtube, or if you're in China then search on Youku. Combine it with 大山 or 朱力安 to find videos of these talented performers.

> **Comments:**
> **username_9**: Dashan has said himself it is kind of like Abbott and Costello's 'whose on first'  
> **username_8**: Just today Dashan wrote a great answer to this very question, but on Quora; see the top answer here: http://www.quora.com/What-is-xiangsheng-and-what-makes-it-funny  
> **username_9**: Hopefully one day this site will be good enough for him to come and answer here! ;)  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2012-01-10. Score: 5

Kind of hard to explain ...

It a traditional performing arts in China, usually performed by two performers, in the form of dialogue between the two performers.

It is a comedic performing art that would make people laugh.

[This is a short wiki article about it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiangsheng).

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Wiki is *the* source for this kind of cultural vocabulary.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2012-01-10. Score: 4

It's Chinese traditional talk show. Usually played by two persons. But there is 单口相声 which played by one person.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: To forestall any potential confusion: I have heard many Chinese people refer to 相声 as 脱口秀 ("talk show"), but 相声 certainly doesn't match the vision most English speakers have of what talk show means. I'd consider 脱口秀 and talk show to be "false friends" in this case.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2013-02-03. Score: 1

"相声" literally means "mutual voice."

Figuratively, it would refer to a "back and forth" dialog between two people, kind of like a ping pong game. Because no one is clearly dominant, it is a use of language that would be considered a high art form.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2015-04-10. Score: -1

相声 or the cross talk is like a talk show, usually performed by 2 people.


---

