礼拜

禮拜

lǐbài

noun HSK 5 #2,377

Meanings

1 week (colloquial)
2 Sunday
3 religious service; worship

Characters

ceremony; ritual; propriety

to worship; to pay respects

Ritual worship — originally meant religious service, now colloquially means 'week.'

Examples

下个礼拜我们去旅游。

Xià ge lǐbài wǒmen qù lǚyóu.

Next week we're going traveling.

礼拜天你有空吗？

Lǐbàitiān nǐ yǒu kòng ma?

Are you free on Sunday?

一个礼拜有七天。

Yī ge lǐbài yǒu qī tiān.

A week has seven days.

礼拜三我们有个会议。

Lǐbàisān wǒmen yǒu ge huìyì.

We have a meeting on Wednesday.

Tips

usage

礼拜 as 'week' is colloquial, especially popular in southern China and Taiwan. 星期 (xīngqī) is the standard/formal term. Both are perfectly understood everywhere.

usage

Days of the week: 礼拜一 through 礼拜六 (Mon-Sat), 礼拜天/礼拜日 (Sunday). Same pattern as 星期一, etc.

Stroke Order

礼 lǐ

拜 bài