法师 (fǎ shī) — Master (title for a Buddhist or Daoist priest)

Definition

Honorific title for a Buddhist or Daoist master, used to address or refer to a senior clergy member.

noun

Master (title for a Buddhist or Daoist priest)

Measure word · 位

法师。
Nà wèi fǎ shī zhèng zài gěi xìn tú men jiǎng jīng.
That master is giving a sutra lecture to the followers.
法师。
Sì miào lǐ de yí wèi lǎo fǎ shī jiào le wǒ hěn duō fó fǎ.
An old master in the temple taught me a lot of Buddhist teachings.
法师。
Tā jué dìng chū jiā gēn suí yí wèi fǎ shī xiū xíng.
He decided to become a monk and follow a master in spiritual practice.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

法 means dharma or law, and 师 means master; together they name a master of dharma.

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

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

廌廌zhìa type of antelope or caprid

Sound part声符shēngfú

盍

盍hé法fǎ

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

法's older form combined 氵 (water) and 廌 (a type of antelope or caprid), with 盍 as a sound part; later 廌 was dropped.

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.

𠂤帀師

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

Appears in