百戏

BaiXi

中国古代歌舞杂技表演的总称。包括武术、廣术、驯兽、歌舞、滑稽戏表演，及空中走绳、吞刀、踏火等各种杂技，内容丰富，形式多样，表演比较自由而随意，追求娱乐效果，具有民间性和通俗性。

It's a generic term in history for performing arts, including martial arts, magic, taming animals, song and dance, farce, tightrope walking, knife swallowing, walking on fire, and other acrobatic performances. Such performing arts were diverse in both form and content and the performance could easily take place, the only criterion being to entertain the popular audience.

汉代开始流行，随着各民族的文化交流与融汇，乐舞杂技表演形式也不断融合、丰富，“百戏”是表示其种类繁多。南北朝以后其义同于“散乐”。唐代逬一步盛行。宋代以后，散乐侧重指文人创作、艺人表演的歌舞、戏剧，百戏则相当于民间杂技。

Such performances began in Han times, and as culture and art forms from different ethnic groups were slowly integrated into local practice, performing arts and acrobatics came to be increasingly diversified. The termbaixi (百戏)literally means "a hundred forms of performances" and suggests, different kinds of performing arts. After the Southern and Northern Dynasties another term, sanyue (散乐), became synonymous with baixi. During the Tang Dynasty the performing arts became even more popular. In Song times sanyue came to refer mainly to song and dance performances or operas created by men of letters; while baixi came to mean principally acrobatic shows by folk artists.

有时，统治者会因为百戏耽误正业甚至影响风气而颁布禁令。总的来说，百戏孕育了歌舞、戏剧等高雅艺术，留下了中国杂技这一非物质文化遗产，丰富了人们的精神文化生活。

At times the authorities would impose a ban onbaixi, believing that such performing arts exerted a bad influence on social customs. Still it is fair to say that baixi gave birth to high-brow song and dance as well as operas. It turned acrobatics into a form of intangible cultural heritage, enriching the cultural life of the people.

来源：翻译大王