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礼拜天 (lǐ bài tiān) — Sunday (colloquial)

Definition

礼拜天 (lǐbàitiān) is the colloquial, everyday word for 'Sunday', more casual than the formal 星期日.

noun
Sunday (colloquial)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 礼拜天。
    Zhè ge lǐ bài tiān wǒ men qù gōng yuán wán.
    This Sunday we go to the park to play.
  • 礼拜天。
    Tā měi gè lǐ bài tiān dōu qù tú shū guǎn.
    He goes to the library every Sunday.
  • 礼拜天。
    lǐ bài tiān Shì wǒ zuì xǐ huan de yì tiān.
    Sunday is my favorite day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

礼拜week
礼lǐ拜bài
联合Coordinate
天tiānday

礼拜 gives the sense 'week' and 天 gives 'day', so 礼拜天 denotes Sunday.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 禮; 礼 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
礻Written in full as示shìaltar
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ禮lǐ
Same sound today

The traditional form 禮 pairs 礻 (altar) with 豊, a sound part, for performing rites at the altar; the simplified 礼 is a later shorthand.

Open 礼 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

拜 combines 扌 (hand, written fully as 手) with 𠦪 (herbs), showing a hand holding herbs as a gift.

Open 拜 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 5Days & Weeks

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