婚礼

• Pinyin: hūn lǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 婚 = 女 (woman) + 昏 (dusk, phonetic) — anciently marriages took place at dusk; 礼 = 礻(altar) + 豊 (ritual vessel) — a formal ceremony

Meaning

Wedding ceremony; wedding. The formal ceremony in which two people get married.

Refers specifically to the wedding ceremony itself, not the entire marriage process. Common collocations include 参加婚礼 (attend a wedding), 举办婚礼 (hold a wedding), 婚礼现场 (wedding venue), and 婚礼请柬 (wedding invitation). Chinese weddings often feature red decorations, banquets, and traditional customs.

Examples

1. 他们打算明年春天举办婚礼。 They plan to hold their wedding next spring.
2. 上周末我参加了朋友的婚礼。 Last weekend I attended a friend's wedding.
3. 她的婚礼非常浪漫，来了很多客人。 Her wedding was very romantic, with many guests.

Usage Guide

Context: social, celebration, family

Tone: festive

Do Say

• 恭喜你们！婚礼什么时候举行？(Congratulations! When is the wedding?)
• 我被邀请参加他们的婚礼。(I was invited to attend their wedding.)

Don't Say

• 他们的婚礼已经三年了 (Don't use 婚礼 to refer to the duration of a marriage — use 结婚; 婚礼 is the one-day ceremony, not the ongoing marriage)

Origin & History

婚 (hūn, marriage) + 礼 (lǐ, ceremony/ritual) — literally 'marriage ceremony,' the ritual celebration of a union.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal