杂剧是中国戏曲体制的一种，盛行于元代。

「杂剧」一词最早见于唐代，泛指歌舞以外诸如杂技等各色节目，意思和汉代的百戏相似。“杂”谓杂多，“戏”则和“剧”的意思相仿，指嬉闹，都没有今天戏剧的意思。到了宋代，杂剧逐渐成为一种新的表演形式的专称；这一新形式也确实称得上“杂”，它包括有歌舞、音乐、调笑、杂技，并且分为三段：

三段各一内容，互不连贯。

Zaju (traditional Chinese: 雜劇;simplified Chinese: 杂剧;pinyin: zájù;Wade–Giles: tsa-chü) (literally meaning "variety show") was a form of Chinese drama or Chinese opera which provided entertainment through a synthesis of recitations of prose and poetry, dance, singing, and mime, with a certain emphasis on comedy (or, happy endings). Zaju is a genre of dramas that had its origins in the Song Dynasty. It has particularly been associated with the time of the Yuan Dynasty, and remains important in terms of the historical study of the theater arts as well as Classical Chinese literature and poetry.