Meaning & use
tea ceremony
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Meanings
nouncountable
A formal, carefully ordered way of preparing, serving and drinking tea, especially in Japan, treated as an art or a ritual.
Grammar: Can take an article: a tea ceremony, the tea ceremony.
Patterns
- attend a tea ceremony
- a tea ceremony in somewhere
We attended a tea ceremony in a quiet garden in Kyoto.
Every movement in the tea ceremony has a purpose and follows a set order.
She trained for years to perform the tea ceremony gracefully.
nouncountable
A special event or tradition, such as a part of a wedding in some cultures, where tea is served formally to show respect.
Grammar: Used with a cultural context: the Chinese wedding tea ceremony.
Patterns
- hold a tea ceremony
- take part in a tea ceremony
The couple held a tea ceremony to thank their parents.
At the wedding, each guest took part in the tea ceremony.
He served the elders first during the tea ceremony as a sign of respect.
Word forms
| plural | tea ceremonies |
|---|
Common combinations
- attend a tea ceremony
- Visitors can attend a tea ceremony at the temple.
- traditional tea ceremony
- The hotel offers a traditional tea ceremony each Sunday.
- Japanese tea ceremony
- The Japanese tea ceremony values calm and simplicity.
- perform the tea ceremony
- The host performed the tea ceremony in silence.
- wedding tea ceremony
- The wedding tea ceremony lasted about twenty minutes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chanoyu
- Chanoyu is the Japanese name for the practice, and a writer would use it when stressing Japanese tradition rather than any ceremony with tea.
- tea ritual
- Tea ritual is looser and may describe a personal habit, whereas tea ceremony implies a formal tradition.
- afternoon tea
- Afternoon tea is a casual British meal with tea and snacks, with no formal ritual.
Word family
- ceremony noun
- a formal event with set actions
- ceremonial adjective
- relating to a ceremony
- ceremonially adverb
- in a formal, ritual way
- teahouse noun
- a place where tea is served
Commonly confused: tea ceremony or tea party?
tea ceremony vs tea party
A tea party is a social gathering with tea and food, usually informal, while a tea ceremony follows set steps.
Practice
In the traditional Japanese ______, the host whisks powdered green tea in a bowl and serves it with careful, set movements.
Choose one answer.
A tea ceremony is a formal ritual with set steps. A tea party is a social gathering, so it does not describe careful ritual movements.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tea ceremony”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.