The existence of jokes is alluded to in the Shih ching, or Book of Songs, which dates back to the early part of the Chou dynasty (11th century to 221 B.C.). But the first collection of jokes in China, Hantan Ch'un's Hsiao lin, or Forest of Smiles, was compiled during the three Kingdoms period.
但中國笑話真正的起源應算是三國時代，一個名叫邯鄲淳的人寫了第一部笑話書「笑林」，自此之後，笑話變成文學史上一條小脈，清清淺淺，卻從未間斷。