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