Like many other sports， table tennis began as a mild social diversion①. Descending②， along with lawn tennis and badminton， from the ancient medieval game of tennis. It was popular in England in the second half of the nineteenth century under its present name and various trade names.
After the name Ping Pong (an imitation of the sound made by the ball striking the table and the vellum bats that were used) was introduced by J. Jaques and his son， the game became a fashionable craze③.
The game was popular in Central Europe in 1905—1910， and even before this is a modified version had been introduced to Japan， where it later spread to China and Korea. After a period when it had dropped out of favor in Europe， the game was revived in England and Wales in the early twenties.
By that time “Ping Pong” had been registered as a trademark， so the earlier name of table tennis was reintroduced. National associations were formed and standardization of the rules began， both in Europe and the Far East. Then， over the next sixty years， table tennis developed into a major worldwide sport， played by perhaps thirty million competitive players and by uncountable millions who play less seriously. However， the game itself has not changed in essence④ since its earliest days， though it is faster， more subtle and more demanding than it was even only twenty years ago.
In various ping pong games， the most famous is the world championship competition， which was held once a year at the beginning， now， it is held twice a year ever since 1957.
In 1904， a Shanghai shop keeper called Wang Daowu， brought 10 sets of table tennis tools home， the game was therein introduced to china.
One of the first public hints of improved U.S.—China relations came on April 6， 1971， when the American Ping Pong team， in Japan for the 31st World Table Tennis Championship， received a surprise invitation from their Chinese colleagues for an all expense paid visit to the People’s Republic. Time magazine called it “The Ping Pong Heard round the World.” On April 10， nine players， four officials， and two spouses stepped across a bridge from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland， ushering⑤ in an era of “Ping Pong diplomacy”. They were the first group of Americans allowed into China since the Communist takeover in 1949.
① diversionn. 娱乐，消遣
② descendv. 传下来，来自于
③ crazen. (一时的)狂热，风尚
④ essencen. 精髓，精华
⑤ usherv. 预报……的来到，开辟，创始
乒乓外交
正如其他运动一样，乒乓球只是社会中无足轻重的消遣。它跟草坪网球和羽毛球都是由中世纪网球演变而来的。在十九世纪的后半叶，乒乓球就以其现在的名字或其他商品名在英国流行。
而当“乒乓”（模仿球在桌面和皮纸球拍之间撞击的声音）这个名字被J.杰奎斯和他的儿子介绍开来之后，它就开始越来越受欢迎。
在1905年至1910年的中欧，乒乓球运动很热，后来其运动方式稍加修改，传入日本，而后来又传入中国和韩国。乒乓球曾经一度销声匿迹，在十九世纪二十年代早期，它又在英格兰和威尔士获得新生。
在那时，“乒乓”被作为一种商标予以注册，所以，乒乓球的早期用名再度使用。在欧洲和远东，很多国家成立了协会，同时比赛的规则也被设立。其后的六十年间，它发展成为一项世界著名的运动。其运动员达到大约三千万，另有无数人以休闲方式接触乒乓球。然而，乒乓球运动本身，自古至今，它的精髓是没有改变的，尽管现在比20年前速度更快、更精细，要求也更多。
在名目繁多的乒乓球比赛中，最负盛名的是世界乒乓球锦标赛，起初每年举行一次，1957年后改为两年举行一次。
1904年，上海一家文具店的老板王道午从日本买回10套乒乓球器材。从此，乒乓球运动传入中国。
1971年4月6日，乒乓球曾经作为中美关系友好使者，为两国关系的发展做出了突出的贡献。那时，美国的乒乓球队在日本参加第31届乒乓球冠军赛事。他们惊奇地接受到来自中国的邀请，费用全部由中国承担。正如《时代》杂志所说：“乒乓球的声音回荡全球。”4月10日，9名队员、4名官员、两对夫妇登上了香港连接大陆的桥梁，捧出了“乒乓外交”。他们是1949年新中国成立以后，第一批踏上中国土地的美国人。
