插科打诨
chā kē dǎ hùn
to clown about; to slip gags into a performance
Character by character
插chā
insert
insert
科kē
stage business
stage business
打dǎ
crack
crack
诨hùn
jokes
jokes
Example
会议气氛太紧张，幸好老李在旁边插科打诨，大家才笑了出来。
The meeting was too tense; luckily Lao Li clowned about on the side and everyone finally laughed.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
From traditional opera: 科 is comic stage business, 诨 a joke. Fine for comedians and witty hosts; when someone uses jokes to dodge a serious matter it turns critical: 别插科打诨，说正事。
Learn this in Lesson 216 · HSK 9+: 相声：说学逗唱 (Crosstalk: the art of talking funny)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →