Meaning of 典礼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- ceremony; celebration
How to use 典礼
典礼 refers to an official or formal ceremony, such as a graduation, opening, or award event. It often follows a describing word, as in 毕业典礼 (bìyè diǎnlǐ, graduation ceremony) or 开幕典礼 (kāimù diǎnlǐ, opening ceremony). Example: 明天学校举行毕业典礼。 (Míngtiān xuéxiào jǔxíng bìyè diǎnlǐ.) The school is holding the graduation ceremony tomorrow.
典 (diǎn) is the same character you see in 字典 (zìdiǎn) and 经典 (jīngdiǎn), so think of something formal and by the book. Add 礼 (lǐ), the 礼 in 礼物 (lǐwù) and 婚礼 (hūnlǐ), and you get a formal, by-the-book ritual: a ceremony.
Common mistake: Learners often say 做典礼 or 有典礼 when the natural verb is 举行 (jǔxíng, to hold) or 参加 (cānjiā, to attend). Also keep the tones straight: both syllables are third tone, so in speech 典 shifts to a rising tone, sounding like diánlǐ.
典礼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
典 diǎn · law · 8 strokes
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礼 lǐ · gift · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 典礼.
| 礼物 | lǐwù | gift; present |
| 字典 | zìdiǎn | Chinese character dictionary (containing entries for single characters, contrasted with a |
| 词典 | cídiǎn | dictionary |
| 婚礼 | hūnlǐ | wedding ceremony; wedding |
| 经典 | jīngdiǎn | the classics; scriptures |
| 典型 | diǎnxíng | model; typical case |
| 礼貌 | lǐmào | courtesy; politeness; manners; courteous; polite |
| 礼拜 | lǐbài | to attend a religious service; (coll.) week |
| 辞典 | cídiǎn | variant of 詞典|词典[ci2 dian3] |
| 古典 | gǔdiǎn | classical |
| 礼堂 | lǐtáng | assembly hall; auditorium |
| 送礼 | sònglǐ | to give a present |
Questions about 典礼
What does 典礼 mean?
典礼 (diǎnlǐ) means "ceremony; celebration" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 典礼?
典礼 is made of 2 characters: 典 (8 strokes), 礼 (5 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 典礼 an HSK word?
Yes. 典礼 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 典礼 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 典礼 is written 典禮.
What is the difference between 典礼 and 婚礼?
典礼 is the general word for any formal ceremony. 婚礼 (hūnlǐ) is specifically a wedding. You would not usually call a wedding 典礼 on its own, though 结婚典礼 (jiéhūn diǎnlǐ) is sometimes used in formal writing.
Can 典礼 mean a casual party or celebration?
Not really. 典礼 suggests an organized, official event with set procedures. For a casual party, use 聚会 (jùhuì) or 派对 (pàiduì) instead.