Listen to this articleguànlǐ 冠礼
Cap Wearing Ceremony
加冠之礼，即成人礼，是古代人伦生活中的一项重要礼仪。按照古礼的规定，男子在二十岁时行“冠礼”。在行礼过程中，男子要依次被授予、佩戴不同的冠帽，因此有“冠礼”之名。“冠礼”是成人的标志。成人不只是身体的成熟，还意味着道德人格的确立。“冠礼”的完成昭示着行礼之人开始以独立的身份承担人伦生活中的各种责任，并具备了参与各种重要礼仪活动的资格。
The cap wearing ceremony indicated that one had reached adulthood. In ancient China, when a young man came of age, at 20, an important ceremony was held to mark the event. During the ceremony, he would wear different types of caps, hence, the name of the ceremony. Such a ritual suggested that a young man came of age, not only in terms of his physical constitution, but also in terms of the moral standing required of him as an adult. Having gone through this rite, a man was considered qualified to shoulder his responsibilities as an adult in life and take part in important ceremonies or activities.
引例 Citations：
◎冠者，礼之始也，嘉事之重者也。（《礼记·冠义》）
（冠礼，是诸礼的起始，是嘉美之礼中的重要礼仪。）
The cap wearing ceremony is the beginning of all rites and an important auspicious event. (The Book of Rites)
◎始加，祝曰：“令月吉日，始加元服。弃尔幼志，顺尔成德。寿考惟祺，介尔景福。”（《仪礼·士冠礼》）
（第一次加冠时，祝词言：“在这吉庆的日子，第一次给你戴上冠。望你摒弃幼稚的心志，顺应成人的美德。如此则长寿而有福，不断扩大你的福泽。”）
When the young man wore the first cap, the master of ceremony offered congratulations, saying:”The first cap is bestowed upon you on this day of happiness. You are expected to rid yourself of childish mentality and acquire the virtues of adulthood. By so doing, you will live a long and happy life and have good fortune.” (The Book of Rites and Rituals)
