大师傅 (dà shī fu) — master (respectful title for a skilled worker, especially a chef or mechanic); Great Master (honorific for a Buddhist monk)

Definition

Respectful everyday title for a highly skilled worker, most often a chef or mechanic (口语). In Buddhism, 大师 alone is the honorific 'Great Master' for a monk.

noun
master (respectful title for a skilled worker, especially a chef or mechanic)Great Master (honorific for a Buddhist monk)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 大师傅。
    Zhè ge fàn diàn de dà shī fu shǒu yì fēi cháng hǎo.
    The master chef at this restaurant has excellent culinary skills.
  • 大师傅。
    Nà wèi dà shī fu zài sì miào lǐ xiū xíng le hěn duō nián.
    That Great Master has cultivated in the temple for many years.
  • 大师傅，？
    Qǐng wèn dà shī fu, zhè dào cài zěn me zuò?
    Excuse me, Master, how do you make this dish?

Origin

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.

大dàgreat
师傅
师shīmaster/teacher傅fùtutor
联合Side by side

大 means great, and 师傅 means master, so the word is a respectful title for a skilled master.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
尃
尃fū傅fù
Same sound today

傅 is built from 亻, a standing person, beside 尃, which supplies the sound fū.

Open 傅 →

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