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师父 (shī fu) — master (teacher of a skill, martial arts, or religion); (in Taiwan) variant of 师傅 (skilled worker, polite term for driver or worker)

Definition

师父 is a respectful title for one's personal teacher of a skill, martial art, or religion — someone you apprentice under (拜). Don't confuse with 师傅, the polite address for a skilled worker (driver, cook) you don't study under.

noun
master (teacher of a skill, martial arts, or religion)(in Taiwan) variant of 师傅 (skilled worker, polite term for driver or worker)
Measure word · 位
Easily confused

Examples

  • 师父。
    Zhè wèi shī fu jiào le wǒ sān nián tài jí quán.
    This master taught me tai chi for three years.
  • 师父。
    Sì miào lǐ de shī fu měi tiān qīng chén dōu yào sòng jīng.
    The master in the temple chants sutras every morning.
  • 师父，。
    Tā bài le yí wèi mù jiàng shī fu, xué le wǔ nián shǒu yì.
    He apprenticed with a carpenter master and learned the craft for five years.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

师shīteacher
父fùfather

'师' means teacher and '父' means father, together suggesting a master regarded like a father.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 師; 师 is its simplified writing.

  • 𠂤𠂤𠂤
  • 帀帀zā

The traditional form 師 combines 𠂤 and 帀; the simplified 师 is not the form explained here.

Open 师 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 父 shows a hand holding a stone blade, referring to a man working with a stone axe.

Open 父 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Identity & Titles

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