师 is a Chinese character with 6 strokes, radical 巾 (turban), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The traditional form 師 is a phono-semantic or associative compound of 𠂤 (a mound or pile, originally depicting stacked earth or a heap of meat offerings) on the left and 帀 (encirclement, a banner going around) on the right. The combined image is of troops massed around a standard, giving the original meaning of a large military unit. The simplified 师 drops a stroke from the mound element but preserves the same structure.
Form evolution
Oracle-bone and bronze forms show the mound element alone as a word for army or multitude. By seal script the 帀 element was regularly added to give the full 師. Clerical script squared the curves, and the traditional 師 has been stable since. The simplified 师, adopted in the PRC in 1956, removes the short horizontal stroke inside the left component.
How the meaning evolved
The earliest sense was a military division of about 2,500 men in Zhou-dynasty texts, and by extension an army or a large crowd. The modern sense of teacher developed from the idea of a master who leads and is followed, much like a commander leads troops; this metaphor is already present in texts like the Analects. Today the teacher sense dominates, but the military sense survives in 师长 (division commander) and 出师 (to send out an army, or to complete an apprenticeship).
Cultural note
老师 (teacher) is now the default respectful address for teachers at every level, but historically 师 in 师父 carried a much heavier weight, implying a lifelong master-disciple bond in martial arts, crafts, or religion. The proverb 一日为师，终身为父 (one day a teacher, a lifetime a father) captures this older sense.
Mnemonic
A towel on a pole — a teacher displays knowledge
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Stroke count | 6 strokes |
| Radical | 巾 (#50: turban) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #402 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 师
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
Appears in these articles
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.