一字师

一字師
yīzìshī
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 one-character teacher
  2. 2 someone who corrects a single character or word in your writing
  3. 3 an editor whose tiny change makes all the difference

Examples

HSK 2
Tā gǎi le yíge zì, zhēnshì wǒ de yīzìshī.
He changed just one character - truly my one-character teacher.
HSK 7-9
Hǎo lǎoshī bùbì bóxué, zuò de chéng yīzìshī jiù gòu le.
A good teacher doesn't need vast learning - being a one-character mentor is enough.

Tips

history
Two sources: a humble clerk correcting 李相's mispronunciation of a 《春秋》 character (《唐摭言》), and the poet 齐己 changing 数枝开 to 一枝开 on 郑谷's suggestion - the single edit turned a 'plum in bloom' into an 'early plum.' 郑谷 was thereafter called 一字师.

Stroke Order

shī