庆典

• Pinyin: qìng diǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 庆 = 广 + 大 (celebrate; simplified from 慶); 典 = 曲 + 八 (canonical ceremony/classic text)

Meaning

A celebration ceremony; a formal and grand event organised to mark an important occasion, milestone, or achievement.

Used for major institutional or national celebrations: 开业庆典 (opening ceremony), 校庆庆典 (school anniversary celebration), 建国庆典 (national founding ceremony). Implies formality, scale, and solemnity beyond ordinary parties. Common in government, corporate, and cultural contexts.

Examples

1. 数万名市民聚集于广场，共同见证了这座城市建立一百周年的盛大庆典。 Tens of thousands of residents gathered in the square to witness the city’s grand centennial celebration.
2. 公司成立二十周年庆典在五星级酒店隆重举行，嘉宾云集，场面蔚为壮观。 The company’s 20th anniversary celebration was held with great pomp at a five-star hotel, with distinguished guests in attendance and a spectacular scene.
3. 庆典活动包含文艺演出、烟火表演和主宾致辞等多个精心编排的重要环节。 The celebration included carefully planned key segments such as performances, a fireworks show, and speeches by the guests of honor.

Usage Guide

Context: government, business, culture, institutions

Tone: ceremonial

Do Say

• 开幕庆典将于下月初在国家大剧院盛大举行，届时多位国家领导人将亲临出席。(The opening ceremony will be grandly held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts early next month, with several national leaders attending in person.)
• 企业通过举办周年庆典，不仅回顾了自身的发展历程，也向所有参与者表达了深厚的感谢之情。(By holding its anniversary ceremony, the company not only reviewed its development journey but also expressed profound gratitude to all those who had been part of it.)

Don't Say

• 我们开了个小庆典 — use 庆祝活动 or 小型聚会 for informal celebrations; 庆典 implies an organised, formal, and typically large-scale event with official proceedings

Origin & History

庆 (celebrate/congratulate) + 典 (ceremony/canon/classic) — a formal celebratory ceremony

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal