內容簡介
一位聽眾來信詢問 “ceremony、ceremonial、rite” 和 “ritual” 之間的區別。這四個詞語都和 “儀式” 有關，但它們指的 “儀式” 類型不同。“Ceremony” 和 “ceremonial” 都指 “在公眾場合舉辦的隆重典禮”；“rite” 和 “ritual” 都指與文化和傳統有關的 “儀式”。聽節目，學習這四個詞的具體用法。
文字稿
（關於臺詞的備註: 請註意這不是廣播節目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現錄制、編輯過程中對節目做出的改變。）
Phil
Hello, this is Question and Answer of the week. I’m Phil.
Jiaying
And I’m Jiaying. 本期節目要回答的問題來自一位聽眾。問題由我來代讀。
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.
Jiaying
OK! 名詞 “ceremony” 的意思是 “典禮，儀式”，通常指 “在公眾場合舉辦的、正式而隆重的儀式”。比如：wedding ceremony（婚禮）、graduation ceremony（畢業典禮）、awards ceremony（頒獎典禮）。聽兩個例句。
Examples
I loved your wedding. It was such a beautiful ceremony.
（我很喜歡你的婚禮，多麼美滿的儀式啊！）
We will hold a small ceremony to officially open the new library building.
（我們將舉行一場小型儀式，正式啟用新的圖書館大樓。）
Jiaying
“Ceremonial” 既可以作名詞，也可以作形容詞使用。作名詞時，它同樣指 “典禮，儀式”，但它比 “ceremony” 更正式，也沒有那麼常用，聽一個例句。
Example
These grand buildings are sometimes used for elaborate ceremonials, celebrating important social occasions.
（這些宏偉的建築有時會被用作盛大儀式的場所，慶祝重大的社交場合。）
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.
Jiaying
沒錯，形容詞 “ceremonial” 有兩個主要的用法：第一個是名詞 “ceremony” 的形容詞形式，意思是 “與典禮有關的，儀式的”；第二個含義是 “職位、功能等是象征性的，禮節性的，並不涉及任何實質權力的”。聽兩個例句。
Examples
At the graduation, the professors wore their ceremonial robes.
（在畢業典禮上，教授們身著禮服。）
The chancellor of the university is a ceremonial role. It’s the vice-chancellor who makes the decisions.
（這所大學的校長是一個禮儀性的職務。副校長才是做決定的人。）
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.
Jiaying
是的，名詞 “rite” 和 “ritual” 都可以指 “與特定文化或傳統有關的、莊重的儀式”，常以同一種方式舉行，但在表達這個含義的時候，“rite” 的使用頻率沒有 “ritual” 高。聽兩個例句。
Examples
These pottery fragments tell us about the rites carried out by ancient civilisations.
（這些陶器碎片讓我們瞭解瞭古代文明社會舉行的儀式。）
Studies into this civilisation found that specific rituals were performed to mark the coming of each season.
（對這一文明的研究發現，人們會舉行特定的儀式來慶祝每個季節的到來。）
Phil
Another difference is that we can use ‘ritual’ to talk about more general customs and habits.
Jiaying
名詞 “ritual” 還可以指 “風俗；習慣，慣例”，而問題中的其它三個詞則沒有這個用法。來聽兩個例句。
Examples
The giving of specific gifts is an ancient ritual that has been maintained for centuries.
（向他人送禮是一種千古流傳至今的風俗慣例。）
She always puts her left boot on first before a match. It’s become a ritual for her.
（比賽前，她總是先穿左腳的鞋。這對她來說已經成為瞭一種習慣。）
Jiaying
好瞭，歸納一下：名詞 “ceremony” 和 “ceremonial” 都指 “正式的典禮或儀式”，形容詞 “ceremonial” 的意思是 “與儀式有關的” 或 “（職位是）象征性的”；名詞 “rite” 和 “ritual” 都指 “與特定文化或傳統有關的、莊重的儀式”，而 “ritual” 還可以指 “風俗；習慣”。
Phil
Remember that if you have a question you’d like us to answer, you can email us too, at: questions.
Jiaying
你也可以通過微博私信的方式發送你的問題，我們的微博賬號是 “AYYBLOG英語教學”。謝謝收聽本期 “你問我答” 節目。Bye, everyone.
Phil
Bye!
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