礼拜 meaning in English
to attend a religious service; (coll.) week
Meaning of 礼拜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to attend a religious service
- (coll.) week
- (coll.) Sunday
How to use 礼拜
In everyday speech 礼拜 works like 星期 (xīngqī) for days and weeks, so 礼拜一 is Monday and 礼拜天 or 礼拜日 is Sunday. It can also mean to attend a religious service, as in 做礼拜 (zuò lǐbài). Example: 我下个礼拜去北京。(Wǒ xià ge lǐbài qù Běijīng.) I am going to Beijing next week.
礼 (lǐ) means ritual or courtesy, as in 礼貌 (lǐmào), and 拜 (bài) means to bow or worship, as in 崇拜 (chóngbài). Bowing in a ritual is attending a service, and since services came once a week, 礼拜 also came to mean week.
Common mistake: Learners often write 礼拜七 for Sunday, but Chinese uses 礼拜天 (lǐbàitiān) or 礼拜日 (lǐbàirì). Also keep the fourth tone on 拜 (bài), and do not confuse 拜 with 摆 (bǎi, to place).
礼拜 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.
礼 lǐ · gift · 5 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
拜 bài · to bow · 9 strokes
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 礼拜.
| 礼物 | lǐwù | gift; present |
| 婚礼 | hūnlǐ | wedding ceremony; wedding |
| 礼貌 | lǐmào | courtesy; politeness; manners; courteous; polite |
| 拜访 | bàifǎng | to pay a visit; to call on |
| 典礼 | diǎnlǐ | ceremony; celebration |
| 崇拜 | chóngbài | to worship; adoration |
| 礼堂 | lǐtáng | assembly hall; auditorium |
| 送礼 | sònglǐ | to give a present |
| 拜托 | bàituō | to request sb to do sth; please! |
| 葬礼 | zànglǐ | burial; funeral |
| 礼服 | lǐfú | ceremonial robe; formal attire (dinner suit, evening gown etc) |
| 敬礼 | jìnglǐ | to salute; salute |
Questions about 礼拜
What does 礼拜 mean?
礼拜 (lǐbài) means "to attend a religious service; (coll.) week" and is used as a noun and verb.
How do you write 礼拜?
礼拜 is made of 2 characters: 礼 (5 strokes), 拜 (9 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 礼拜 an HSK word?
Yes. 礼拜 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 礼拜 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 礼拜 is written 禮拜.
Is 礼拜 more formal or casual than 星期?
礼拜 is more colloquial and is very common in southern China and in speech generally. 星期 (xīngqī) is neutral and is the safer choice in writing and formal settings. 周 (zhōu) is the most concise and appears often in written schedules.
Can 礼拜 be used alone to mean Sunday?
Yes, in casual speech 礼拜 by itself can mean Sunday, though this use is less common today. Most speakers say 礼拜天 to be clear. Context usually tells you whether someone means week, Sunday, or a religious service.