Who's the master?!?!

[Three Harmonies]

DBAC - Ohhh, you cannot read and comprehend so well. How sad! I did not compare "my" anything to a sport, I used a sports analogy to illustrate a point about language. Read a bit more carefully before unleashing your little fingers to type away!

My main teachers have told me that the term "Shifu" is never used in China. Lasohi = teacher was about as formal as they got.

JAB

[MightyB]

"Sifu" is a title and an acknowledgement of respect in the HK martial arts community. Unfortunately it is often misused in America. For instance, to be a living breathing and practicing martial artist - "Sifu" is about as high as you can go and it takes a long time to get there. "Sigung" is ultra rare - a "Sijo" is reserved for the Creator of the system. It's also a post humus title. I find it laughable when someone calls them self a "Sijo". How the F*** can that be? Anyway. Now throw in your martial aunts and uncles, your "Sitai" and "Sibok". and don't forget your martial mother "Simo"...

It's best to use the English term "Master" to show respect to someone outside of your system if you respect them. Otherwise it's "Mister". Use the Cantonese terminology within your school with your Sifu and his friends and use the titles that they are comfortable with.

[DBAC]

DBAC - Ohhh, you cannot read and comprehend so well. How sad! I did not compare "my" anything to a sport, I used a sports analogy to illustrate a point about language. Read a bit more carefully before unleashing your little fingers to type away!

JAB

I see it doesn't take much to get you riled up.

[TenTigers]

My main teachers have told me that the term "Shifu" is never used in China. Lasohi = teacher was about as formal as they got.

JAB

Every Sifu I know from Mainland as well as Hong Kong use the title Sifu.
They also call the cabbies, bus drivers, etc., "Sifu" as well....

[bawang]

adopted father is personal and is family relationship. master is impersonal master/slave relationship. the small difference in attitude means student is easier to control and exploit.
this is good in america anyways because 1. most americans westernized people dont feel comfortable getting personal 2. the american family is broken, most people dont understand what real family is. "teacher father" is meaningless and doesnt ilicit the same emotional response 3. many americans are racist and only joined kung fu because its kewl. and since most kung fu schools are all whites now they dont find it intimidating. 4. most teachers want nothing to do with their students just wanna make money.

to a land where 50% of the peoples concept of father is someone who used to visits once a month and takes him out to mcdonalds, then after teen years never see again. teacher-father is meaningless

[Lucas]

i never cared what i called my teachers. i just follow suite and call them what they prefer or what everyone else calls them. it doesnt really matter. im just there to learn fighting....im a barbarian.

[YouKnowWho]

I have never heard the term "Sifu" used in Taiwan. I also have never heard the tem "internal" used in Taiwan either. Both "Sifu" and "internal" are popular words used in US today. People love to throw out words such as "internal power", "internal structure", "internal alinment", "internal connection", ... as if the word "internal" can change everything.

This is one of my favor jokes:

There are only 2 kind of people on earth. Those who train "internal", and those who wish they train "internal".

[Three Harmonies]

Good points John and BWang!

Ten Tigers - To each their own, but the HK scene that I have been exposed to over here are very monetary motivated, for what it is worth.

JAB

[bawang]

Good points John and BWang!

Ten Tigers - To each their own, but the HK scene that I have been exposed to over here are very monetary motivated, for what it is worth.

JAB

honk kong is the source of the corruption

[Tainan Mantis]

Could you imagine a Mongolian trying to teach baseball in Mongolia using English just because the sport was founded in America!?

Uhh..yes I can.
In Taiwan they use a lot of American words in baseball, same as in Japan. So I don't think Mongolia would differ so much if they played the game.

Homerun becomes Hompu ruun.
OF course, they also have the regulation Chinese words, but I love the sound of English words turned into Chinese.

[ironfenix]

In mexico its "hon ron" (own ron), and "pee chair", "ka chair", and "bateador". And we use no-kaut for knockout in boxing. Hello to kevin and all!

[Dragonzbane76]

I have never heard the term "Sifu" used in Taiwan. I also have never heard the tem "internal" used in Taiwan either. Both "Sifu" and "internal" are popular words used in US today. People love to throw out words such as "internal power", "internal structure", "internal alinment", "internal connection", ... as if the word "internal" can change everything.

This is one of my favor jokes:

There are only 2 kind of people on earth. Those who train "internal", and those who wish they train "internal".

because idiots like to throw words around that they have no comprehension of.

[Three Harmonies]

Kevin
That is basically Chinese-ifying an English word, not exactly what I was describing.
JAB

[Tainan Mantis]

I have never heard the term "Sifu" used in Taiwan. I also have never heard the tem "internal" used in Taiwan either.

My motorcycle mechanic was a shifu as was the cook in the restuaruant.
(Here "fu" is not the character for father).

Internal
Very often have I heard those who do nei jia quan say the words 'nei jia quan' or just 'nei jia.'

But, I agree about 'internal' which would be translated as 'nei' which is meaningless.
Since Nei is used for
nei jia quan internal school of fighting
nei li-internal power
nei dan shu- internal alchemy, internal skill of the 'dan.'

[jdhowland]

[QUOTE=YouKnowWho;1039408]I have never heard the term "Sifu" used in Taiwan. QUOTE]

That's interesting. I have a friend from Taiwan who uses the term all the time in referring to his teachers and his students all call him Shifu.

I've brought this up before but one of my pet peeves is when an American insists that he be addressed as sifu. It is honorary and other people may address you as such but to demand it as a title is silliness.

I attended a week-long kung fu seminar a few years ago in which i was one of only two participants who were not already students of the teachers who gave the instruction (one teacher was from Hong Kong, the other a Hawaii-born Chinese American). The other newbie was a kajukenbo instructor who insisted on being addressed as "Sifu So-and-so." He seemed to be afraid that everyone would mistake him for a lowly kung fu student.

The teachers were very kind to me and we spent a lot of time before and after the classes socializing and trading anecdotes about people we knew in common and technical aspects of our arts. During the seminars "Sifu So-and-so" was included in the lines of students and spent many hours practicing hundreds of moves from praying mantis, hsing-i quan, taijiquan. The host instructor took me aside had me practice two postures and some conditioning exercises. That was it for the whole week. On the last day the guest instructor walked by me and commented, "That's an advanced posture." He later confided that he was offended by "Sifu" but neither of them ever let on. I guess we both got what we came for.