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師傅

简师傅 · 繁師傅

Mandarin · pinyin shī fu

master
qualified worker
respectful form of address for older men
Classifier: 個 gè, 位 wèi, 名 míng

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Characters in this entry

師: shī · teacher, master, specialist; multitude, troops; hexagram ䷆
傅: fù · tutor, teacher; assist; surname
师: shī · teacher, master, specialist

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–5 · shi1 fu5

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links1same-tone record4source references

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

師傅 · find source passages ↗ · 师傅 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses · 2 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

si1 fu2 · si1 fu6

Cantonese word readings for 師傅. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

teacher; master; sifu; shifu (usually of a trade)
polite form of address for an adult
polite way to address a skilled worker (carpenter, plumber etc.) or craftsman
(Hong Kong Cantonese, slang) monosodium glutamate; MSG

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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