How to Write 师 (shī) — Meaning “teacher; master”

Imagine a teacher holding a cloth (巾) to clean a blackboard while pointing to a lesson with a stick — the right side looks like a raised arm. This picture helps you recall that 师 is used for 'teacher' or 'master'.

Write the left radical 巾 with three strokes: vertical, horizontal fold, vertical. Then the right side starts with a short horizontal stroke, a long sweep from top to bottom, and a final vertical line. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or forgetting the top horizontal on the right — keep the left narrow and the right balanced.

师 has a radical 巾 on the left and a distinct right side with a long vertical stroke. 巿 (fú) looks like 师 but with a single vertical line through the center, used in ancient cloth names. 帀 (zā) is a circle enclosing a horizontal line, meaning 'to go around'. Their meanings are unrelated to 'teacher'.

师 appears in 老师 (lǎo shī) for 'teacher' and 师傅 (shī fu) for 'master' like a skilled worker or driver. In Chinese culture, showing respect to teachers and masters is deeply valued, so 师 carries a sense of honor and expertise.

Common words containing 师 include: 老师 (lǎo shī) — Teacher.; 师傅 (shī fù) — master; skilled worker; driver; 师生 (shī shēng) — teachers and students.