Can you help me?

[Blackspear]

I wanted to know if someone can tell me what chinese word means instructor. I Know that Si-hing is older brother. But my situation is that I recently opened my own school under my sifu and I am trying to find a word by which my students can refer to me by other than sir. And I cant have them call me sifu because one, I am just an instructor and there can only be one sifu in our system. I was going to use Si-Hing but my senior brothers told me I shouldnt because I am their teacher not their older brother but I have been looking all over trying to find a word that means instructor.

I would deeply appreciate your help.
Thank you,

[CLFNole]

If you run the school and do all of the teaching you should be called sifu. If you run the school under your sifu's name and he comes in and teaches once and a while they should refer to you as sihing.

An instructor can be called a gou neen, however someone wouldn't call you this. Lo si also means teacher, however this is often used for people who teach in schools (education).

Peace

[Blackspear]

Thanks CLF, I appreciate your time but I disagree because I do Run the school and do all the teaching I still have not earned the title Sifu. Because I am still a student myself and still train under my Sifu in New York. You see what I mean I am an Instructor not a master so which is why I am searching for a word which symbolizes instructor. But I do appreciate your input but my search continues.

[MantisWill]

Reread his post. They should call you Si Hing.

[CLFNole]

Blackspear:

Sifu doesn't always mean master. A sifu can still be learning from their own sifu and have a school. My own sifu furthered his teaching when he had a school in his early years.

If your sifu is in NY and you are in NJ and you run the school you are the sifu. Sifu basically comes down to being the father of the school. This whole thing can be a delicate issue.

If the school is yours then you are the sifu. If your sifu owns the school and calls all the shots as far as how and what you teach then you are the si-hing.

Personally ask your sifu what they should call you.

There really is no other way around it, you are either sifu or si-hing. It doesn't matter if you consider yourself a master or not. If you full run, own and operate the school you are a sifu.

There is nothing in Chinese that will really help you if you are uncomfortable with the term sifu just use english and have them call you Instructor (Fill in your name).

Peace

[Fu-Pow]

The world Sifu is wrongly associated with "master" in our society.

If you look at the Chinese characters you will see why.

Si means teacher.

Fu means father.

What Sifu really means someone, usually an older man, who is respected and revered in a community.

Where is mastery implied?

If you are the head teacher in your own school then you are THE SiFu.

Your teacher should be referred to as SiGung by your students.

Even if you have students there that are SiHing to you training in your school, you are still the SiFu of the school. Your students should refer to that way. Your SiHings training there would be SiSuk or SiBak to your students.

Your teacher selected you to open the school for a reason didn't he? I can't believe someone would be allowed to open a school without being granted the title of Sifu of the school?

Time to step up to responsibility of being the big cheese......good luck!!!!

Oh....BTW...if I lost you, here's a great site that explains the relationships very well.....

http://www.hungkuen.net/tradition-family.htm



:D

[Blackspear]

Thank you all for your input, I deeply appreciate it and will keep them in mind. Also, another reason is that Sifu in our system can not be used till Fourth degree. I still am not a Fourth degree in my system so that is why I can not use the term sifu. But, Thank you all I do appreciate your comments.

[David Jamieson]

blackspear, now you are mixing cultures quite liberally.

sifu means that you are skilled at what you do, Si Fu means "teacher/ father" and infers master.

If you are the instructor, you are sifu, if you are the master you are Si Fu, if you are the instructors teacher in the same school you are Si Fu to the instructor and Si Gung to the students.

Degree and belt rankings have little to do with the title associated with the filial piety (family structure/ancestral honouring) found in many Kungfu styles.

There is the family naming sigung,sifu,simo, sihing, sidai, sijei, todai, etc, etc,etc and the "belt ranking" is for the most part seperate.

To me, this is a mixing which is causing you the confusion.
Ask YOUR sifu what he wishes you to call yourself as you remain associated and within his hands. He has given you his blessing to start a school, so start it and spread the martial arts. your students are your students and they will call your teacher Sigung. degree or no degree.


peace

[Blackspear]

Thack you all for your input. I do appreciate all of your suuggestions and yes I am aware that the Term Sifu is different things in different schools. But in my school Sifu is associated to the master and we are not even allowed to use the term until we have reached fourth degree. So I appreciate your input but I was just looking to see if any of you knew of another term that means instructor thats all.
By thack you for your help.