Sifu
師父
Form of address for a teacher in Chinese martial arts. Sifu in Cantonese, shifu in Mandarin. The characters 師父 mean “teacher father”.
Quick Facts
Word breakdown
Definition
Sifu (師父) is the Cantonese reading, in Mandarin shifu. The characters mean “teacher” and “father”. They express that the master-student bond was seen as familial in traditional Chinese schools. The student entered the school's lineage, the master was responsible for him, and students of one master called each other brothers and sisters. The form 師傅, “teacher and educator”, sounds the same and is a respectful address in China for any experienced craftsman or expert. In martial arts 師父 is usually written. The family hierarchy is completed by sigung for the master's teacher and sihing and sidai for older and younger fellow students.
Relations to other terms
Equivalent in another art
See also
Form of address for one's own master's teacher, literally “master grandfather”. It belongs to the family hierarchy of Chinese martial arts schools.
Sihing a sidai師兄 / 師弟Forms of address for an older (sihing) and younger (sidai) fellow student of the same master. Time of entering the school decides, not age. Similar to Japanese senpai and kohai.