洗礼

• Pinyin: xǐ lǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 洗 = 氵+ 先 (water + first — to wash, cleanse); 礼 = 礻+ 乙 (spirit/ritual altar + second — ritual, ceremony, propriety)

Meaning

Baptism; a baptism of fire; a profound transformative experience. In Christianity, the sacrament of baptism; figuratively, a severe ordeal that tests and transforms.

Widely used in both religious and figurative contexts. Figuratively describes a formative, purifying, or testing experience: 战火的洗礼 (baptism of fire in battle), 时代的洗礼 (the transformative test of an era). The figurative use is common in literature, journalism, and speeches.

Examples

1. 这批年轻战士经历了战场的洗礼，最终成长为意志坚定的老兵。 After being baptized by the battlefield, these young soldiers ultimately grew into battle-hardened veterans with unshakable resolve.
2. 他在异国他乡独自创业，历经了艰辛岁月的洗礼，才建立起今日的事业。 He started a business alone in a foreign country and, after being tempered by years of hardship, built the career he has today.
3. 牧师主持了庄重的洗礼仪式，为这位新入教的信徒正式接纳进教会团体。 The pastor presided over a solemn baptism ceremony, formally welcoming the newly converted believer into the church community.

Usage Guide

Context: religion, literature, history, journalism, metaphorical

Tone: solemn

Do Say

• 历史学家认为，五四运动对那代青年是一场思想洗礼，动摇了儒家权威，也激发了科学与民主救国的想象。(Historians believe the May Fourth Movement was an intellectual baptism for that generation of young people, shaking Confucian authority and inspiring hopes of saving the nation through science and democracy.)
• 登山队在零下三十度和九级狂风中冲顶，经历体力与意志的洗礼，最终全员安全登顶。(The mountaineering team pushed for the summit in minus thirty degrees and force-nine winds, undergoing a test of both body and will, and all members reached the top safely.)

Don't Say

• 洗礼 in a casual or trivial context — it carries a sense of gravity and transformation; for a mild or ordinary learning experience use 锻炼 or 历练; applying 洗礼 to minor inconveniences trivialises the word's weight and can sound hyperbolic or inappropriate

Origin & History

洗 (to wash, cleanse) + 礼 (ceremony, ritual, propriety) — the ceremony of washing; a ritual cleansing; translated from Greek baptisma (immersion in water for purification)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal