TongTong
Sign in

徒弟 (tú dì) — apprentice; disciple

Definition

徒弟 is the everyday word for an apprentice learning a trade or skill from a 师父. 弟子 is more literary and used for followers of a religious or philosophical teacher; 传人 is a formal word for a successor who inherits and continues a tradition.

noun
apprenticedisciple
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 。
    Shī fu jiào tú dì jì shù.
    The master teaches the apprentice skills.
  • 徒弟。
    Zhè ge tú dì xué xí fēi cháng rèn zhēn.
    This apprentice studies very seriously.
  • ，徒弟。
    Tā gēn shī fu xué le sān nián, xiàn zài yǐ jīng shì yōu xiù de tú dì le.
    He studied with the master for three years and is now an excellent apprentice.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

徒túapprentice
弟dìdisciple

徒 and 弟 both refer to a disciple or follower, so together they mean an apprentice.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
土
土tǔ徒tú
Same sound today

徒 originally paired 辵, a walking sign, with 土 to show its sound. The shape later changed into 彳 and 走.

Open 徒 →

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

弟 pictures a spear handle wrapped in a leather strap. The wrapping showed order, and that meaning was extended to a younger brother.

Open 弟 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Social Roles & Status

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.