Ma Sanli (1914-2003) was a famous xiangsheng (‘cross-talk’) performer here in China, and that style of humor (two guys exchanging puns, wordplay, and artfully confusing homonyms) is probably best explained in English by referencing the famous Abbott and Costello bit.

Thanks for stopping by.

What do these characters mean individually ?

“.. humor involving word play (whether it’s 马三立 or “Who’s on First?”..”

Is this the translation or merely a similar usage example in English ?

How do you pronounce the characters? I recognize the second as ‘three’ and the third as ‘standing’ (?) The first seems like ‘horse’, but I know it’s missing some character strokes. I’ve learned a bit of mandarin, but only a few basic characters, having taught ESL in Japan and learned some then. Thanks and Best Wishes on your Research.

I really enjoy your web site. I’ve been studying late Qing history – specifically the court of the Empress Dowager Cixi – for several years now. One result of this study is my biography of Cixi’s most famous (and to some people, infamous) lady in waiting, Princess Der Ling, published in January by Hong Kong University Press. I’m now working on another book for HKUP about the friendship between American diplomat’s wife Sarah Pike Conger and Cixi, before, during and after the Boxer Uprising. Mrs Conger was unusual among foreigners in her sympathy for the Chinese, and tried to educate Americans about them and their country and its history. I’m especially fascinated by the Boxer Uprising and what I see as its connection to the failure of the Hundred Days reforms of the Guangxu emperor, increased missionary activities and the increasing presence of Japan. I’m also fascinated by the foreign/Chinese dynamic toward the end of the Qing dynasty and the nebulous nature of Manchu identity, made the more so after the dynasty fell. Princess Der Ling was not just a proponent of ross-cultural communication but an example of cross-culturalism herself, given the fact she had an American grandfather, an American husband, and was educated in the capital of Europe. Mrs. Conger came to China with no background in the country at all, but soon realized there were many similarities between American and Chinese cultural, familial and religious observances, and reminded foreigners of this as much as the Chinese.

You’re doing great work – keep it up!

All best – Grant