Phil Hello, this is Question and Answer of the week. I'm Phil.
Jiaying And I'm Jiaying. 本期节目要回答的问题来自一位听众。问题由我来代读。
Question I would like to know the difference between 'ceremony' and 'ceremonial', as well as 'rite' and 'ritual', which are more or less synonymous. Thank you.
Phil This is a tricky question, so it's a great one to ask! There's quite a lot of overlap between these words, so let's look at how they can vary. The simplest one to talk about is probably 'ceremony', so let's start there.
Example These grand buildings are sometimes used for elaborate ceremonials, celebrating important social occasions. (这些宏伟的建筑有时会被用作盛大仪式的场所,庆祝重大的社交场合。)
Phil Now, as an adjective, 'ceremonial' has got two main meanings – one is just as the adjective formed from 'ceremony'. Used in this way, it refers to things related to ceremonies.
Examples At the graduation, the professors wore their ceremonial robes. (在毕业典礼上,教授们身着礼服。)
The chancellor of the university is a ceremonial role. It's the vice-chancellor who makes the decisions. (这所大学的校长是一个礼仪性的职务。副校长才是做决定的人。)
Phil So, let's look at 'rite' and 'ritual' now. They can have a similar meaning to 'ceremony', but they're often used more generally to refer to any set, formal behaviours.