曲艺 (qǔ yì) — a general term for traditional Chinese folk performing arts (e.g., cross-talk, story-singing, clapper talk)

Definition

Examples

• 这位老先生一辈子都在研究中国民间曲艺。
  Zhè wèi lǎo xiān sheng yí bèi zi dōu zài yán jiū zhōng guó mín jiān qǔ yì.
  This old gentleman has spent his whole life researching Chinese folk performing arts.
• 你听过苏州评弹吗？那是南方很有名的一种曲艺。
  Nǐ tīng guò sū zhōu píng tán ma? nà shì nán fāng hěn yǒu míng de yì zhǒng qǔ yì.
  Have you heard Suzhou pingtan? That's a very famous type of folk performing art in the south.
• 相声是曲艺里最受欢迎的形式之一。
  Xiàng sheng shì qǔ yì lǐ zuì shòu huān yíng de xíng shì zhī yī.
  Cross-talk is one of the most popular forms of folk performing arts.

Origin