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.
Quick Facts
Term typeRole in training and bouts
LanguageChinese
Formnoun
Pronunciation[see-heeng / see-dye]
Alternative Namesolder and younger fellow student
Readings and romanizations
Pinyinshīxiōng / shīdì
Jyutping (Cantonese)si1 hing1 / si1 dai6
Word breakdown
師shī / siteacher, school
兄xiōng / hingolder brother
弟dì / daiyounger brother
Definition
Sihing (師兄, “older brother in the school”) and sidai (師弟, “younger brother in the school”) are Cantonese readings, shixiong and shidi in Mandarin. Female fellow students are addressed sije (師姐) and simui (師妹). Who is older depends on time of entry into the school, not age. The older student helps the younger ones with teaching and they respect him. This matches the Japanese pair senpai and kohai.