bānjiǎng: 颁奖 - To Present an Award, Award Ceremony

• Keywords: bānjiǎng, 颁奖, present award in Chinese, award ceremony Chinese, give a prize Chinese, 颁奖典礼, bānjiǎng diǎnlǐ, 颁奖嘉宾, bānjiǎng jiābīn, how to say award in Chinese, HSK 5
• Summary: Learn how to use the Chinese word 颁奖 (bānjiǎng), which means “to present an award” or refers to an “award ceremony.” This page covers its meaning, cultural significance in China, and practical usage in contexts like film festivals, school competitions, and corporate events. Discover how this formal term reflects the importance of public recognition and honor in Chinese culture, complete with 10 example sentences and common mistakes to avoid.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): bānjiǎng
• Part of Speech: Verb-object Phrase (often used as a verb)
• HSK Level: HSK 5
• Concise Definition: To formally present an award, prize, or honor.
• In a Nutshell: 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) is the word you'll hear and use for any formal ceremony where prizes are given out. Think of the Oscars, a company's “Employee of the Year” event, or even a school spelling bee. It combines the formal act of “bestowing” with the concept of an “award,” carrying a sense of official recognition and public celebration.

• 颁 (bān): This character means “to issue,” “to bestow,” or “to promulgate.” It's composed of 分 (fēn - “to divide/distribute”) and 页 (yè - “head/page”). You can think of it as a formal announcement or item being distributed from a higher authority (the “head”).
• 奖 (jiǎng): This character means “award,” “prize,” or “reward.” The top part 将 (jiāng) often acts as a phonetic component, while the original bottom component was 大 (dà - “big”), signifying a “big” achievement deserving of a reward.
• Together, 颁 (bān) + 奖 (jiǎng) literally means “to bestow an award,” perfectly capturing the essence of a formal presentation.

In Chinese culture, 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) is more than just handing over a trophy; it's a significant public act of recognition that reinforces social and group values. While Western cultures also have award ceremonies, the emphasis in a Chinese context is often on a few key aspects:

• Setting an Example: Award ceremonies are used to highlight role models. Whether in a company or a classroom, the person receiving the award is presented as an example for others to emulate. This serves a collective purpose: to motivate the entire group towards a shared goal.
• Public Recognition and “Face” (面子): Receiving an award in a public 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) ceremony brings great honor, or “face” (面子 - miànzi), to the individual, their family, and their work unit or school. It's a formal validation of one's hard work and contribution.
• Formality and Hierarchy: The act of 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) is typically formal. Often, a person of high status (a CEO, a famous director, a school principal) will be the 颁奖嘉宾 (bānjiǎng jiābīn), or award presenter. This reinforces social structures and shows the importance of the award being conferred.

Unlike simply “winning a prize” in a casual Western context, 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) emphasizes the ceremony and the formal, top-down act of bestowing that honor.

You will encounter 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) in various formal settings. It's not a word used for casual “rewards,” like giving a child a cookie for good behavior.

• Formal Ceremonies (典礼 - diǎnlǐ): This is the most common context. You'll see it used for film festivals (电影节), music awards, academic conferences, and major sporting events. The full term is often 颁奖典礼 (bānjiǎng diǎnlǐ), “award ceremony.”
• Corporate Culture: Companies in China frequently hold annual meetings (年会 - niánhuì) where they 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) to outstanding employees (优秀员工 - yōuxiù yuángōng). This is a key tool for boosting morale and reinforcing company values.
• Education System: Schools hold ceremonies to 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) for academic achievements, sports victories, and good conduct, encouraging students to strive for excellence.
• In the News: Media reports will use 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) when covering any event where official awards are given out.

• Example 1:
  • 电影节的颁奖典礼将会在今晚举行。
  • Pinyin: Diànyǐngjié de bānjiǎng diǎnlǐ jiānghuì zài jīnwǎn jǔxíng.
  • English: The film festival's award ceremony will be held tonight.
  • Analysis: This shows the most common noun form, 颁奖典礼 (bānjiǎng diǎnlǐ), referring to the entire event.
• Example 2:
  • 谁会来颁奖？
  • Pinyin: Shéi huì lái bānjiǎng?
  • English: Who is coming to present the awards?
  • Analysis: A simple question using 颁奖 as a verb of action. This is a very common and practical question to ask about a ceremony.
• Example 3:
  • 公司决定给最优秀的员工颁奖。
  • Pinyin: Gōngsī juédìng gěi zuì yōuxiù de yuángōng bānjiǎng.
  • English: The company decided to present an award to the most outstanding employee.
  • Analysis: The structure `给 (gěi) + [Recipient] + 颁奖` is very common, meaning “to present an award to [someone].”
• Example 4:
  • 他因为在科学领域的杰出贡献而获得了这个奖，由一位诺贝尔奖得主为他颁奖。
  • Pinyin: Tā yīnwèi zài kēxué lǐngyù de jiéchū gòngxiàn ér huòdéle zhège jiǎng, yóu yī wèi Nuòbèi'ěr jiǎng dézhǔ wèi tā bānjiǎng.
  • English: He received this award for his outstanding contributions in the field of science, and a Nobel laureate presented the award to him.
  • Analysis: The structure `由 (yóu) + [Presenter] + 为 (wèi) + [Recipient] + 颁奖` specifies who is presenting the award to whom.
• Example 5:
  • 我们的校长将亲自为获奖学生颁奖。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen de xiàozhǎng jiāng qīnzì wèi huòjiǎng xuéshēng bānjiǎng.
  • English: Our principal will personally present the awards to the winning students.
  • Analysis: `为 (wèi) + [Recipient] + 颁奖` is another way to say “present an award to [someone].” `亲自 (qīnzì)` adds the emphasis of “personally.”
• Example 6:
  • 著名演员李先生是今晚的颁奖嘉宾。
  • Pinyin: Zhùmíng yǎnyuán Lǐ xiānsheng shì jīnwǎn de bānjiǎng jiābīn.
  • English: The famous actor Mr. Li is tonight's award presenter.
  • Analysis: This introduces the key term 颁奖嘉宾 (bānjiǎng jiābīn), which means “award-presenting guest” or simply “presenter.”
• Example 7:
  • 在颁奖现场，他激动得说不出话来。
  • Pinyin: Zài bānjiǎng xiànchǎng, tā jīdòng de shuō bu chū huà lái.
  • English: At the awards ceremony venue, he was too excited to speak.
  • Analysis: Here, 颁奖 is used as a modifier for 现场 (xiànchǎng - scene/site), creating the meaning “awards ceremony venue.”
• Example 8:
  • 明年的颁奖典礼将在上海举行。
  • Pinyin: Míngnián de bānjiǎng diǎnlǐ jiāng zài Shànghǎi jǔxíng.
  • English: Next year's award ceremony will take place in Shanghai.
  • Analysis: Another straightforward example using the full noun 颁奖典礼 (bānjiǎng diǎnlǐ) to talk about future plans.
• Example 9:
  • 祝贺你！听说你被提名了，希望看你在台上颁奖。
  • Pinyin: Zhùhè nǐ! Tīngshuō nǐ bèi tímíng le, xīwàng kàn nǐ zài táishàng bānjiǎng.
  • English: Congratulations! I heard you were nominated, I hope to see you on stage receiving an award.
  • Analysis: This example has a subtle mistake a native speaker might make in casual speech. Technically, the person on stage is 获奖 (huòjiǎng - receiving an award). The person giving the award is doing the 颁奖 (bānjiǎng). However, colloquially, people might say this to mean “be part of the award ceremony.” A more precise sentence would be `希望看你在台上获奖 (xīwàng kàn nǐ zài táishàng huòjiǎng)`.
• Example 10:
  • 这个组织每年都会颁奖，以表彰那些为社区服务的人。
  • Pinyin: Zhège zǔzhī měi nián dōu huì bānjiǎng, yǐ biǎozhāng nàxiē wèi shèqū fúwù de rén.
  • English: This organization presents awards every year to recognize those who serve the community.
  • Analysis: This shows the purpose of the award presentation using the structure `以 (yǐ) + [Purpose]`, meaning “in order to…”

• 颁奖 (bānjiǎng) vs. 给 (gěi): A common mistake is using 颁奖 for any act of giving a reward. 颁奖 is exclusively for formal, often public, ceremonies. If you give your friend a small gift for helping you, you would use 给一个礼物 (gěi yī gè lǐwù). Using 颁奖 would sound strange and overly dramatic.
• Grammar Trap: Verb-Object Structure: 颁奖 is technically a verb-object phrase: 颁 (bān - to bestow) is the verb and 奖 (jiǎng - award) is the object. This means you cannot add another object after it.
  • Incorrect: 我要颁奖一个奖杯 (Wǒ yào bānjiǎng yī gè jiǎngbēi).
  • Analysis: This is like saying “I want to present-award a trophy.” The object “award” is already inside the word.
  • Correct: 我要颁发一个奖杯 (Wǒ yào bānfā yī gè jiǎngbēi).
  • Fix: Use the verb 颁发 (bānfā - to issue/award) when you want to specify the item being awarded (like a trophy `奖杯`, certificate `证书`, or prize money `奖金`).

• 颁奖典礼 (bānjiǎng diǎnlǐ) - The full, formal noun for “award ceremony.” 颁奖 can refer to the action, while 颁奖典礼 always refers to the event itself.
• 颁发 (bānfā) - A formal verb meaning “to issue” or “to award.” Use this when you need to specify the object, e.g., `颁发证书 (bānfā zhèngshū)` - to award a certificate.
• 获奖 (huòjiǎng) - The opposite of 颁奖. It means “to receive an award” or “to win a prize.”
• 提名 (tímíng) - To nominate; nomination. This happens before the 颁奖.
• 奖品 (jiǎngpǐn) - The physical prize, the item you win (e.g., a camera, a book).
• 奖金 (jiǎngjīn) - Prize money, a cash bonus.
• 奖杯 (jiǎngbēi) - A trophy cup.
• 荣誉 (róngyù) - Honor, glory. This is the abstract concept that an award represents.
• 嘉宾 (jiābīn) - Honored guest. Often seen in the compound 颁奖嘉宾 (bānjiǎng jiābīn), meaning the guest who presents the award.