How to Say Master in Chinese?

How do you say Master in Chinese? Many non-Chinese men that I have met knew the Chinese name for Master – SHIFU even when they barely understand Mandarin. Moreover, they are always enthusiastic about the title – Shifu or Sifu if they have been watching too many Martial Arts 功夫 Gōngfū films. That is how many they understand the term Master in Mandarin.

Shifu or Sifu?

Master in Chinese is 师傅 Shīfù or 师父 Shīfu? The Pinyin for 师 is Shi and not Si. Sifu is a Cantonese pronunciation, pronounced as “See-foo” (‘C-fool’ without the ‘L’ sound). If you are unsure of the Shi and the Si sound, check out the post on Difference between Z, C, S and ZH, CH, SH Sound to hear the intonation between Shi and Si.

The Pinyin for both “Fu” has different accent marks (父 fu is a neutral sound here) which indicate that they should have different pronunciation. However, the difference in pronunciation is not apparent and does not apply in this case. 父 has also a Pinyin sound of fù.

Difference Between Shifu Chinese:
师傅 and 师父

Master in Chinese – 师傅 Shīfù

In some Chinese skilled professions, we call these artisans and craftsmen “Master 师傅 Shīfù” when they teach or work in some industries requiring craft and technical skills.

师傅 Shīfù can also be a mentor during an apprenticeship like a teacher. The apprentice is thus called 徒弟 Túdì.

The other known professions which we call 师傅 Shīfù are the chefs working in the restaurants. On the subject of occults and metaphysics, we call the mediums and fortune-tellers as 师傅 Shīfù too.

So, don’t be surprised if you hear the name called on somebody in a profession. Be it whether they are indeed a teacher or a professional master in their field of specialisation or not.

师傅 Chinese Shifu Profession

Master in Mandarin – 师父 Shīfu

The other Chinese term is 师父 Shīfu which also denotes Master in Chinese. The modern Chinese dictionary defines the two terms as the same as nowadays, people rarely write 师父 Shīfu anymore as compared to 师傅 Shīfù due to modernised evolution that makes 师父 Shīfu seem antiquated.

师父 Shifu Meaning

What is 师父 Shīfu meaning here? We address the Buddhist monks, nuns and Taoist priests 师父 Shīfu as a form of respect for them.

In the olden days when someone has a disciple 徒弟 Túdì or a Buddhist disciple 弟子 Dìzǐ, he would call his teacher 师父 Shīfu. The Chinese word 父 Fù means father.

The teacher or the master would take care of the disciple like his own son. Therefore, there was a special bonding between the two of them which the teacher was regarded as a father to the disciple.

Such a close relationship between the teacher and disciple can go on until the end of their life. Hence, the word 师父 Shīfu which illustrates a connection more than that of a teacher and his student.

Nowadays, it is no surprise that such a close-knitted relationship is hardly in existence due to social evolution. Even the Chinese dictionary has to modernise and mould its meaning to accommodate the redundancy.

Conclusion: 师傅 VS 师父

In summary, Master in Chinese is 师父 = 师傅 and the modern word used today is 师傅 Shīfù. Hence, there should be no discrepancy between the two.

*Profile Image: Confucius 

How to Say Teacher in Chinese?

There are a few ways to call Teacher in Chinese. The most well-known name is 老师 Lǎoshī because it is a generic name for any field of studies. However, it is always good to be aware of a few terms of Teacher in Mandarin other than 老师 Lǎoshī.

Recommended Reading: How to Say “Teach” and “Teaching” in Chinese, forming sentences with the Mandarin verbs and nouns.

Here is a little more information on the respect level in Chinese culture for teachers. A teacher is a very respected figure, especially in the older generation, where the literacy level back then was lesser compared to modern education. People were less educated and respected the teaching profession very much.

That said, you will never hear someone called a teacher by his name. He will always be respectfully addressed as “老师 Lǎoshī“. If you compare this to Western culture, you are allowed to call your teacher by his name. If you have a Chinese teacher, bear in mind never to call them by their names as this is regarded as disrespect in our culture unless they ask you to do so.

The eight traditional Chinese characters on the profile image “一日为师，终身为父 yī rì wéi shī, zhōng shēn wéi fù“, literally translated as “one day as a teacher, forever as a father“. That is to say, even if someone is your teacher for a day, you have to respect him like how you respect your father. Judging by this sentence, you would have guessed how the Chinese hold teachers in high esteem.

① School Teacher: 教师 Jiàoshī

Usually, 教师 Jiàoshī refers to a teacher in a mainstream education system. The below Chinese term 教师 Jiàoshī can be replaced by 老师 Lǎoshī too.

② Teacher: 老师 Lǎoshī

老师 Lǎoshī is a generic name in any field of discipline. You can almost call any teacher in Chinese as your 老师 Lǎoshī. The main difference between 教师 Jiàoshī and 老师 Lǎoshī is that you cannot call your teacher as 教师 Jiàoshī when addressing them as seen from the example below:-

How to Address a Chinese Teacher Correctly?

You can add the Chinese Teacher’s surname (or name) in front of 老师 Lǎoshī if you wish. 老师 Lǎoshī is gender-neutral. The proper way to address a teacher is to use the formal You – 您 Nín instead of the standard You – 你 Nǐ.

Type of Teacher in Chinese

Here is a list of Teacher in Chinese = Subject + 老师 Lǎoshī. You also learn the Chinese terms of the subjects. Alternatively, many terms below can be replaced by 教师 Jiàoshī if the teacher comes from a mainstream school.

③  Mentor in Chinese – 导师 Dǎoshī

When someone plays a role in providing guidance or mentoring, the person is a mentor 导师 Dǎoshī. It can be in any field of subjects.

Chinese Singing Contest

If you have watched the Chinese or Taiwanese singing competitions where a competitor is assigned a mentor, you will hear this term often. The TV programme is popular among Asian cultures, particularly the Chinese-speaking countries. Other than that, the term is not frequently used.

Here is a Youtube link to the most popular singing contest in China 四大战队导师歌曲串烧开场秀《中国新歌声2》 where you hear the compère repeat the word 导师 + Names of the Mentor two times within the first 2 seconds of the variety show.

④ Master: 师傅 / 师父 Shifu

师傅 Shīfù means Master in Chinese. He or She can be a teacher or perhaps not. The section on How to Say Master in Chinese will tell you more on:

• Who are the people qualified to be called 师傅 Shīfù and 师父 Shīfu?
• Difference between 师傅 Shīfù and 师父 Shīfu.

Check out the post!

It is not difficult to introduce yourself in Chinese language as they are fixed answers which you memorise about yourself. However, it is not that easy to be able to understand all the variations of questions asked. Therefore, in this article, you will also learn about various ways of questioning and response, so you know they mean the same thing and handle the Chinese self-introduction with ease.

For a start, I have prepared three articles below with audio on self-introduction speech examples, changing the variation of replies in Chinese for beginners when you introduce yourself in Mandarin. The questions and answers will revolve around: –

① Chinese Greetings and Pronouns
② Your Name and Surname
③ Your Age
④ Your Country and Nationality
⑤ Your Hobby and Interest
⑥ Your Relationship and Marital Status

It is always a good practice to read and listen in Mandarin to guess the meaning of the articles before looking at the English translation.

Chinese Self-Introduction Essay and Speech Samples

① Chinese Greetings and Pronouns

How to Say “Hello” in Chinese?

For the Chinese, it is common to greet in person with 嗨！你好! It has a similar connotation as “Hello, how are you?” but not a question asked like 你好吗？ to get a response. The Chinese greeting means “You are fine!” Since the tone of the sentence is an exclamation mark, the other party is not expected to give a reply to 你好!

The pronouns used in the three self-introduction speech in Chinese is: –

• 读者们 |   dú zhě men |  Readers
• 你们 | nǐ men | You (Plural)
• 您 | nín | You (Formal address of someone of a higher authority, a stranger or out of courtesy)
• 你 | nǐ | You (Singular. Informal way and most commonly used to address among friends and people)

Whenever you see the word 们 | mén, with a pronoun, it always refers to a plural form of a pronoun. You can virtually place the Chinese plural word 们 behind any nouns, but usually for humans and animals.

② What is Your Name? Introduce Yourself in Chinese

The first sentence that most people learn is likely “What is your name?”. In a more formal setting, you can be asked to introduce yourself instead of someone asking you to say your name. Both sentences can be applied at the same time too.

How to Say “What is Your Name” in Chinese?

How to Say “What is Your Surname?” in Chinese? – Formal

Here, you can see the formal pronoun 您 | you being used asking for only the surname (family name) instead of the person’s name. The person asking for only the family name wants to address the other party as Mr, Mrs or Miss + Surname.

One example is a shop assistant serving his customer. The Chinese find it more respectful to call a person by the surname when they do not know him well or when the status is higher. However, the person replying back do not need to use 您 and may use 你 instead.

I presume that if you are a foreigner especially a Caucasian, the Chinese would not ask you this question. Next time, you can also ask 您贵姓？to Chinese people if you meet them for the first time.

How to Say “Who Are You” in Chinese?

Asking someone “Who are you?” is an abrupt and less friendly way when asking for a self-introduction. However, it has to depend on the tone used and the situation. 你是谁? can have an implied meaning of curiosity, uncertainty, suspicion or fear.

Example – You went to your friend’s house to look for her. She was not at home. The mother opened the house and saw you. She asked，“你是谁呀?” Then, you have to introduce yourself in Mandarin.

How to Say “My Name is … ” in Chinese?

There are three ways that you can introduce yourself with “My name is ___”.

③ How Old Are You?

The first two questions are common ways to ask someone their age. You can refer to the Chinese numbers of your age.

How to Say “What is Your Age” in Chinese?

How to Say “How Old are You” in Chinese?

To ask someone’s age, “How OLD” in Chinese, is not a direct translation of the English word “old”. The literal translation of “How old” would be “多老“. “老” means aged, senior. Please do not ask someone “你多老?” because the Chinese will never ask a person’s age this way. It is quite offensive to use the Chinese word 老 | lǎo when talking to someone.

Instead, we use the phrase “how big – 多大” to ask someone’s age. Note that the phrase “多大” can have an ambiguous meaning. It can directly refer to the size of the object that you are discussing and not about age. The preferred sentence is still 你今年几岁了？when meeting someone for the first time.

How to Say “How old are you” in a Formal Way?

However, it is considered abrupt and rude to ask a senior, elderly or someone respectable on their age with the sentence construction above. In a formal situation or writing, we ask people on their age with 您今年贵庚? It is more polite asking when you hold high regard for someone.

How to Say “Your Age” in Chinese?

It is easy to say your age in Chinese. There are not many variations. You only have to know the Chinese numbers so you can tell your age to others.

Pardon! My Age is Confidential!

Women are more reserved and sensitive when it comes to divulging their age especially Chinese women. Looks matter to many of them and they care about how people look at them.

Many of them also spend a lot of money, time and effort to maintain their youth. They hope to give a lasting impression of looking young forever.

Therefore, if you do not know a Chinese woman long enough, refrain from asking her age as you never know how she feels about telling it to you. Maybe she is fine with the question. Or, perhaps she does not like it and would not say it frankly.

④ Where Are You From?

When someone asks you “where are you from”, you can tell them either your country of origin or your nationality. It is not necessary to say both unless you have a different nationality than that of the country that you live.

How to Say ” Where are you from” in Chinese?

How to Say “Which country are you from” in Chinese?

How to Say “What is Your Nationality” in Chinese?

How to say Nationality 国籍 | Guó jí in Chinese? Most of the time, you use the ｛name of the country + 人 ｜people｝to derive the nationality.

How to Say “Do You Come from (Country)” or “Are You (Nationality)” in Chinese?

How to Say “Your Country and Nationality” in Chinese?

⑤ What Do You Like to Do? Hobby and Interest

The questions below are all referring to the same things. That is your hobbies and interests. Sometimes, the word 平时 ｜píng shí is added and means ‘usually’. I will prepare a list of activities about hobbies and interests in the near future so you can make references to what you like to do.

How to Say “What Do You Like to Do” in Chinese?

How to Say “What is Your Interest” in Chinese?

How to Say “What is Your Hobby” in Chinese?

⑥ What is Your Marital Status?

Western men looking for a Chinese girlfriend would always be happy to declare that he is single and available. He also wants to know whether they are still single and available or married. It is just an illustration and applies to anyone who wants to say about their relationship status.

How to Say “What is Your Marital Status” or “Relationship Status” in Chinese?

To be honest, I have never had anyone asked me about my marital status 你的婚姻状况是什么? except when filling up forms because it sounds too formal. Many would just ask me about my relationship status “Are you married?” or “Do you have a boyfriend?”

It is always good to know the Chinese phrase ‘marital status’ for administration purpose and the different status as part of introducing yourself in Chinese to others.

How to Say “Are You Single” in Chinese?

Most importantly, people want to know whether you are single or married.

How to Say “Do You Have a Boyfriend” in Chinese?

How to Say “Are You Married” in Chinese?

How to Say “I am Single” in Chinese?

How to Say “Got Engaged, Fiance and Fiancee” in Chinese?

How to Say “I am Married” in Chinese?

How to Say “I am Divorced or a Divorcee” in Chinese?

How to Say “I am Separated” in Chinese?

How to Say “Widow” and “Widower” in Chinese?

For widows and widowers, it is not necessary to mention that. The Chinese might find it awkward to reply back. Just say that you are still single if you do not want to be too frank. After all, the Chinese are usually reserved people if you do not know them well and would not go too deep into such a topic.

I would think that not many people would say upfront that “I am a widow or widower” as it is somewhat private to use as a self-introduction in Chinese. Nonetheless, the Chinese sentences below are for information.

Your Turn to Introduce Yourself in Chinese

So, now is your turn. Leave a reply to me in Chinese (or English) and tell us about yourself. 请你告诉我，平时你喜欢做些什么呢？Take it as a practice and show us what you have learnt. I will reply back to you 🙂

Chinese Colors in Mandarin: How to Say in Chinese

Chinese colors are often used in Mandarin than English or perhaps, more than any other languages. The Chinese language not only uses color as an adjective to describe the object but also incorporate them into our everyday life as meaningful Chinese proverbs, idioms or common saying.

Today, we will only introduce you the names of the colors in Chinese as a foundation, so you know how to describe them at an elementary level. Once you know the names of most primary Chinese colors, you can start giving a more descriptive sentence and even praise your friends for wearing a particular colour that suits them!

Rainbow Colors in Chinese

Chinese Colors Vocabulary

Chinese Color Terms

Other Chinese Colors

Vocabulary Associated with Chinese Colors

Here are some Chinese Vocabulary frequently associated with various colors in our daily life. We will apply these terms below together with the use of the Chinese Colors to form some sentences.

Describing Your Color

It can be monotonous to describe the colors as they are without having some adjectives. Sometimes, you want to provide more information about the type of colors that you have. For instance,

• Dark blue color | 深蓝色 | shēn lán sè or
• Light green color | 浅绿色 | qiǎn lǜ sè.

Chinese Adjectives with colours

We can use Chinese colors as an adjective for a noun with the use of 的｜de in between them.

Chinese Colours Associated with Dressing and Clothes

Discussing and giving advice on the colours of clothes is always a great way to break the ice and practise your Mandarin.

For the last example above, give your classmate, friend or colleague a praise Chinese language the next time when you think that they look great in some colors.

Other Examples of Colors in Chinese

Two Chinese Colors Advice

To end this lesson, I have two interesting sentences about colors in Mandarin. The first is a Chinese Saying. The second one, you have to comprehend yourself for the Chinese adjective.

There are tons of interesting Chinese Proverbs with colours. I guess I have to leave the writing for the future.

Learning Chinese Language is Easy

Are you learning Chinese? Instead of focusing on how difficult it is to learn Chinese Mandarin, let’s start the first article by being positive and motivated so that you will continue learning it. As a Singaporean Chinese living in Belgium and having non-Chinese friends learning Chinese, I know the difficulty that they face.

The problems of learning Chinese are somewhat similar. At the same time, I also try and convince them how easy Chinese is as compared to the native language that they have. That is also the language I am learning now, which is Dutch.

① Chinese Language has no Grammar Rule

The first most obvious benefit of learning Chinese is that it has no grammatical rule. Unlike other languages, there is no such thing as past, present, future, perfect and imperfect tenses. Consider the following sentences.

Consider the following sentences: –

See how easy Chinese is? All you need to do is to change the time but the rest of the information remains unchanged. Unlike English and other European languages, you have to remember a set of grammar rule and participles with different roots and stems to agree with the tenses used. Do the above examples of Chinese sentences encourage you to learn further?

② Chinese Words has no Gender

Similarly to English, the Chinese language does not use any gender for the nouns. It makes speaking Chinese so much easier. Languages like French, Dutch and German require huge storage space in the brain cell for remembering whether the nouns are feminine, masculine or even neutral to be grammatically correct when writing and speaking. Hack it! You construct a Chinese sentence without all these grammar.

③ Chinese Nouns has no Singular or Plural

Another good reason why learning Chinese is easy. Use only the classifier or measure word (two BOWLS of rice) to state the quantity in Chinese languages. However, the writing and pronunciation of the noun do not change. In English, you add an “s” in most noun substantives to denote a plural which is not difficult to know. In the Dutch language, there are 3 plural forms which one has to know. Most plurals end with an “en”, some with an “s” and a few words with an “‘s” (foto’s).

④ Easy to Understand Even when You are Phonetically Incorrect

Most people usually listen to the whole sentence to make out the meaning in the context. If you form a proper Chinese sentence but fail to pronounce certain words with the correct intonation, others may still be able to understand you. However, if the sentence structure is completely wrong with strange pronunciation, then others would not be able to get you right.

⑤ Flexible Sentence Construction

The construction of the Chinese sentences is rather flexible. If you move certain groups of words in a different position in a sentence, you can still be correct given that the sentence construction makes sense to the other party.

First Example

Instead of the above-mentioned sentence:

Second Example

Third Example

The above Chinese sentence construction with the same number of words is to demonstrate how flexible and easy Chinese can be like the English sentences.

As for the words in the brackets, with either or both of them in place or to omit all out are correct Chinese sentence construction. Do not worry too much about making a mistake when learning to speak Chinese. Go ahead and speak out your thought. If the Chinese sentence that you say does not make sense, the native speaker will correct you.

Learn Chinese Language because China has the Most Number of Population in the World

The Chinese people usually do not pinpoint the other Chinese speakers that have made a mistake since the Chinese language has no grammar rule. The probable fault might be the inappropriate choice of vocabulary used instead of words positioning. Even if the wrong words are used, the Chinese would just make a joke out of it.

With more than 1.4 billion people in China representing over 18% of the total world population, it makes sense to learn the Chinese language. As the popular saying goes, “世界的每个角落都有华人 (There are Chinese in every corner of the world)”, it is not that difficult to connect to Chinese people and talk to them no matter where you live.

Moving on to the next post, we will discuss further on the introduction of 24 Chinese Vowels and 23 Chinese Consonants in Hanyu Pinyin.