I'll be the first to admit I have no clue how to use 礼节， but I can tell you this.
品茶是一种礼节. and not 一种礼貌。
How I understand it, 礼貌 is a collective noun essentially meaning 'manners'。
礼节's uses are a bit more complicated. How I see it, it means a few related, but rarely used concepts in english: "ceremony", "protocol/custom", and "etiquette."
Understanding it as etiquette is not particularly useful as like 'manners' it is a collective noun with little real difference in use/meaning. Understanding it as a 'custom/protocol' or a 'ceremony' that is relating to etiquette/manners is the only way to make it's use understandable in English. Just remember that these 'protocols' and 'customs' are different, at least slightly different from customs (风俗） which I am hoping you already have a good grasp on because I don't feel the need to explain something like that because to an english speaker, those customs should be more understandable.
More later.
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I have a sample to show as below.
回复删除Chinese etiquette (中国的礼节 )
Before Tom came to China, he tried to learn a bit about Chinese etiquette.when it comes to clinking wine glasses at a formal reception, it's polite to make sure that the rim of your glass is lower than that of the person you're clinking with.
中国的礼节
在Tom来中国前，他尽力学了一点中国的礼节。当在正式场合要碰酒杯时，要注意你的杯沿（儿）要比其他碰杯的人的杯沿（儿）低一些是比较礼貌的。
Thank you for the example. I've heard about this 'custom' and I remember some Chinese people not paying much attention to it while the Koreans were totally obsessed with it.
回复删除As a collective noun like in your example, 礼节 is relatively easy to understand. It is when it has to describe a single piece of etiquette, a 'custom'/'protocol'/'ceremony' that it becomes a little confusing because english doesn't allow the word etiquette to be used that way.
So, are you James Reynolds or did you just take that text and translate it into chinese? Because the translation certainly 'interesting' in some places.
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