ceremonial gong

6.9

A large metal plate people hit to make a loud sound at important moments in ceremonies

noun
/ˌsɛrəˈmoʊniəl ɡɔŋ/

: gong ceremonial

The sound of the ceremonial gong echoed through the hall as the graduates entered.

Examples

During the opening of the temple festival, the ceremonial gong was struck to announce the beginning of the rituals.
In many cultures, a ceremonial gong is played to bring good luck at weddings.
The ceremonial gong rang loudly during the opening ceremony.
During the festival, a ceremonial gong was struck to signal the start.
During the opening of the temple festival, the ceremonial gong was struck to announce the beginning of the rituals.
The sound of the ceremonial gong echoed through the hall as the graduates entered.
In many cultures, a ceremonial gong is played to bring good luck at weddings.

Synonyms

gong

vsceremonial gong

30 3.2

A metal instrument, often a large disc, that makes a loud ringing sound when struck

is reserved for formal ritual use to mark important moments or transitions

How Loud

tam-tam

9.9

ceremonial gong

6.9

bell

221 1.0

to chime

61 3.0

Surface Forms

ceremonial gong singular

ceremonial gongs plural

Morphology

ceremonial + gong

The noun phrase is directly and compositionally built from 'ceremonial' (ritual/formal) + 'gong' (a metal disc struck to produce sound), so its meaning—a gong used in ceremonies—is immediately derivable by combining the constituents. This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English composition, making it easily understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The noun ceremonial gong comes from the simple image of a large metal disc, the gong, being struck during a ceremonial event to 'announce' the start or a change. The loud, clear sound 'marks' the moment, so a ceremonial gong means an instrument used to draw attention to important moments or 'transitions'.