恩师 (ēn shī) — kind teacher (term of respect, often used to ex…

Definition

恩师 means 'beloved teacher / mentor' — a respectful, formal term for a teacher one is deeply grateful to, more honorific than the everyday 老师.

noun

kind teacher (term of respect, often used to express gratitude)mentor

Measure word · 位

恩师。
Wǒ yǒng yuǎn bú huì wàng jì ēn shī de jiào huì.
I will never forget my kind teacher's teachings.
恩师，。
ēn shī, Xiè xie nín duō nián lái de zhào gù.
My respected teacher, thank you for your care over the years.
恩师，。
Zhè wèi ēn shī bù jǐn jiāo shū, gèng yù rén.
This mentor not only teaches lessons but also cultivates character.

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.

恩ēnkindness

恩 (kindness) describes 师 (teacher), giving a gracious mentor.

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.

因心恩

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

因

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

恩 puts 因, which gives the sound, beside 心, a heart.

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.