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师

师 (shī) Chinese Character: teacher; master; expert

6 strokes · HSK 1 · Radical 巾

A 师 guides a group, shares skill, and becomes the teacher or expert.

Practice 师 in the interactive lesson

Chinese character story: From Leading a Group to Teaching

师 (shī) names someone with knowledge or skill. 老师 is the everyday word for “teacher.” The same character appears in 教师, “teacher,” 医师, “physician,” and 工程师, “engineer.” Its history moves from leading an organized group to guiding learners or mastering a profession. For beginner conversation, remember 老 + 师 as one respectful title used before or after a family name: 王老师 means “Teacher Wang.”

🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes

Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.

老师
老experienced or respected师teacher=teacher
师生
师teachers生students=teachers and students

Chinese character origin and etymology

师 is simplified from 師. The older character referred to a large organized group and its leader, then expanded to a person who guides, teaches, or serves as a model.

The simplified form 师 balances a short left side with a broad right section ending in 巾-like strokes. 师 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.

Chinese character stroke order and structure

师 is written with 6 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.

  • 师 — teacher; master; expert — learn the complete modern shape as one unit

Common usage and sentence patterns

The examples below show 师 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.

王老师教中文。 Wáng lǎoshī jiāo Zhōngwén. Teacher Wang teaches Chinese.
她是一名老师。 Tā shì yì míng lǎoshī. She is a teacher.
老师在学校。 Lǎoshī zài xuéxiào. The teacher is at school.

Learning tips for 师

Learn the reading as one unit: shī, with the first tone: high and level. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “teacher; master; expert,” and write the 6 strokes from memory.

Because 师 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 老 (lǎo, old; experienced); 学 (xué, to learn); 生 (shēng, student; life). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.

Quick review checklist

  • Can you recognize 师 without pinyin?
  • Can you say shī with the correct tone and explain “teacher; master; expert”?
  • Can you write all 6 strokes in order?
  • Can you use 师 in one short sentence?

Related characters

Continue learning Chinese characters

Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.

Sources and editorial note

HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.

Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.