宗师

宗師

zōngshī

noun #36,579

Measure Word

一位宗师 wèi

Meanings

1 grandmaster (founder or supreme authority of a school)
2 great master respected for learning and integrity

Characters

school; lineage

master; teacher

Examples

他是中国书法界的一代宗师。

Tā shì Zhōngguó shūfǎ jiè de yídài zōngshī.

He is a generational grandmaster of Chinese calligraphy.

电影《一代宗师》讲的是叶问的故事。

Diànyǐng 《Yídài Zōngshī》 jiǎng de shì Yè Wèn de gùshi.

The film The Grandmaster tells the story of Ip Man.

他被誉为武林宗师。

Tā bèi yùwéi wǔlín zōngshī.

He is hailed as a grandmaster of the martial arts world.

Tips

culture

宗师 implies founding or top-of-the-tree status in a tradition — martial arts, calligraphy, painting, scholarship. The 2013 Wong Kar-wai film 《一代宗师》 (Yídài Zōngshī, The Grandmaster), starring Tony Leung as Wing Chun master Ip Man, made the term familiar to global audiences.

Stroke Order

宗 zōng

师 shī