师 (shī): teacher, master, expert
师 (shī) is a Chinese character meaning “teacher.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 刂 (structural) and 帀 (structural). It ranks #333 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 师 to skillfully wield 帀 a knife 刂. Its radical form 巾 (cloth) appears in many related characters such as 帮 (bāng, to help), 常 (cháng, always), 市 (shì, market).
Definitions
- teacher
- master
- expert
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo skillfully wield 帀 a knife 刂
Decomposition: ⿰刂帀 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 师 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 师
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 律师noun | lǜ shī | lawyer | 4 |
| 老师noun | lǎo shī | teacher | 1 |
| 大师noun | dà shī | great master | 6 |
| 教师noun | jiào shī | teacher | 4 |
| 厨师noun | chú shī | cook | 4 |
| 师傅noun | shī fu | master | 4 |
| 工程师noun | gōng chéng shī | engineer | 5 |
| 导师noun | dǎo shī | tutor | 6 |
| 师父noun | shī fu | used for 師傅|师傅 (in Taiwan) | 6 |
| 师生noun | shī shēng | teachers and students | 4 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 牧师noun | mù shī | chaplain |
| 设计师noun | shè jì shī | designer |
| 摄影师noun | shè yǐng shī | photographer |
| 巫师noun | wū shī | wizard |
| 医师noun | yī shī | doctor |
| 魔术师noun | mó shù shī | magician |
| 建筑师noun | jiàn zhù shī | architect |
| 法师noun | fǎ shī | one who has mastered the sutras (Buddhism) |
| 会计师noun | kuài jì shī | accountant |
| 按摩师noun | àn mó shī | masseur |
| 理发师 | lǐ fà shī | barber |
| 药剂师 | yào jì shī | pharmacist |
| 技师noun | jì shī | senior technician |
| 化妆师noun | huà zhuāng shī | makeup artist |
| 画师noun | huà shī | (art) painter |
师 appears in 101 compound words: 27 as the first character, 71 as the last, and 2 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 师 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (9)
(idiom) to go to a great deal of trouble; to mobilize considerable manpower and resources (often unnecessarily)
model teacher of every age (idiom); eternal paragon; refers to Confucius (551-479 BC) 孔子
(idiom) to go to a great deal of trouble; to mobilize considerable manpower and resources (often unnecessarily)
Example Sentences
学习师字需要反复练习，才能写得工整。
xué xí shī zì xū yāo fǎn fù liàn xí , cái néng xiě dé gōng zhěng .
Mastering the character "师" requires repeated practice to write it neatly.
〈走进中国〉春节商机!电话接不完 美甲师加班到凌晨三点
zǒu jìn zhōng guó chūn jié shāng jī ! diàn huà jiē bù wán měi jiǎ shī jiā bān dào líng chén sān diǎn
〈Into China〉 Spring Festival business opportunities! The phone can't be answered, and the nail technician works overtime until three o'clock in the morning
明真相大陆民众新年感恩:大法师父好
míng zhēn xiāng dà lù mín zhòng xīn nián gǎn ēn : dà fǎ shī fù hǎo
The people of the mainland are grateful for the New Year: Hello Master Dafa
【中环解密】日睡8小时被炒 投行分析师兴讼
zhōng huán jiě mì rì shuì 8 xiǎo shí bèi chǎo tóu háng fēn xī shī xīng sòng
【Central Decryption】Sleeping for 8 hours a day was fired and investment bank analysts filed a lawsuit
马年投资4主轴曝光 王春盛分析师这样说
mǎ nián tóu zī 4 zhǔ zhóu pù guāng wáng chūn shèng fēn xī shī zhè yàng shuō
The 4 main axes of investment in the Year of the Horse were exposed, and analyst Wang Chunsheng said so
教师发成绩工具Top1-5榜单,一线教师亲测...
jiào shī fā chéng jì gōng jù T o p 1 5 bǎng dān , yī xiàn jiào shī qīn cè . . .
Teachers issue the Top 1-5 list of performance tools, and the front-line teachers personally test...
你的中文老师是谁？
Nǐ de Zhōngwén lǎoshī shì shéi?
Who is your Chinese teacher?
我能和老师说话吗？
Wǒ néng hé lǎoshī shuōhuà ma?
Can I speak with the teacher?
那个摄影师是哪国人？
Nàge shèyǐngshī shì nǎ guórén?
What's the nationality of that cameraman over there?
你去不去飞机场送你老师？
Nǐ qù bù qù fēijīchǎng sòng nǐ lǎoshī?
Are you going to the airport to see your teacher off?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 师 (shī) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 师 have?
What is the radical of 师?
What are the components of 师?
What are common words containing 师?
What characters sound the same as 师 (shī)?
Is 师 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 师 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.