A yiji () were female singers and dancers in ancient China. Yiji are also known as a geji（歌妓, 歌伎, 歌姬) or "singing girl"（歌女). In modern Chinese, the Chinese character "妓" is often associated with sexual transactions, and the word "歌伎" is also often used to avoid it. Yiji or Geji were women in ancient China who engaged in singing and dancing as their profession, belonging to the category of female performers who engaged in singing and dancing. Like other ancient Chinese artists, geji had a low social status, even though many of them are renowned for their talents. In ancient Chinese, the word "妓" one word can refer to both female art performers and female sex workers. The word '妓' one word in Yiji or Geji refers to female performers, not sex workers.
Etymology
In ancient times, women who engaged in singing and dancing were referred to as Geji, and Geji were also known as Wuji（舞妓） or Yiji. In ancient Chinese, the word "妓" can represent both female art performers and female sex workers. In ancient Chinese, the word "妓" one word for Geji refers to female art performers, not female sex workers. In modern Chinese, the word "妓" has become synonymous with sex workers because Geji belong to female performers, not prostitutes. To avoid misunderstandings, the words "歌伎" or "歌姬" are often used. The profession of a Yiji or Geji is to perform music and dance, not to be a prostitute. Prostitutes also have talents such as singing and dancing, but prostitutes cannot be called Yiji or Geji. Although prostitutes have talent,but their job is still prostitution，For example prostitutes in Pingkang Square in the Tang Dynasty and Changsan prostitutes in the late Qing and early Republic of China belong to prostitutes，not a Geji.Famous Geji can be referred to as famous Geji（出名的歌妓）, not a famous prostitutes（出名的妓女）. Geji is not a guanren（倌人）, guanren is a prostitute in the Wu language region in the old times. Geji it does not refer to a qing guanren（清倌人）. A qing guanren is a prostitute who has not yet received customers, and a qing guanren is not always a performer. After receiving customers, he is called a Hong guanren（红倌人）or Hun guanren（浑倌人）, that is a prostitute who sells herself as a profession，not a Geji who specializes in singing and dancing perform.Geji are not thin horses either. Thin horses were young women trained by wealthy merchants as concubines during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Some of the remaining thin horses had to be sold as prostitutes, such as the "Yang Gang" prostitutes who mostly came from thin horses. Geji was a woman who engaged in the profession of singing and dancing in ancient times, while a thin horse was a woman specially trained to sell as a concubine. The literal meaning of "Sing Song Girl" in English may seem to mean a singing girl or a literal translation of a singing girl, but in reality, it is not. According to Zhang Ailing, "Sing song girl" is a term derived from the Wu language, which also refers to high-end prostitutes as "sir". "sir" can be a polite term for anyone, regardless of gender. In Wu's language, 'sir' is pronounced as' Xisang ', but the English and American people in Shanghai mistakenly thought it was' sing song', and they were required to sing at banquets. Therefore, 'sing song girl' is named after it, not the translated name of a singer girl. Singing girl is a new term from the late 1920s to the 1930s, even after dancing girl.