Grandmaster (martial arts)
Encyclopedia
Grandmaster and Master are titles used to describe or address some senior or experienced martial artists
. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master
stock character in fiction. In Oriental martial arts, traditional titular systems vary between nations and arts, but terms such as "teacher
" were more common than "master." The modern use came from to Western society in the 1950s with stories of martial feats seen in Asia
.
" and the use of "master" was a Western
invention derived from 1950s United States
war veterans returning home with stories of the incredible martial feats of certain individuals and groups. Subsequently, they found their way into martial arts culture as marketing tactics to the extent that the titles are aligned to the 'elderly martial arts master' stock character. In Asian countries, such titles are more commonly reserved for religious leaders and saints.
rankings and Black belt
in martial arts both derive from Judo
where they were adopted by its founder Kanō Jigorō
.
commonly use Sensei
(先生) meaning "teacher" or literally translated, "born first" or "one who has gone before". A Sensei is a person who has knowledge and is willing to teach that knowledge to another. A Sensei assists students in ken shiki "the pursuit of knowledge". Some organizations, such as the Bujinkan
, Kodokan
(Judo), and Shodokan Aikido
, use the term shihan
for high-ranking or highly distinguished instructors.
, means "the head family [house]." is sometimes used to refer to "founder of a style" because many modern sōke are the first generation headmasters of their art, but most correctly refers to the current head. A sōke is considered the ultimate authority within their art and has the authority to issue a menkyo kaiden certificate indicating that someone has mastered all aspects of the style.
Many Korean titles are often mistakenly translated as "grandmaster" (태사님 TaeSaNim 太師님). Sonseang-nim (선생님 SeonSaengNim 先生님) is a general term for a teacher of any subject as well as a respectful form of the word “you”. Martial arts instructors (in Korea 4th Dan and above) are called Sabom-nim (사범님 SaBeomNim 師範님). Since Black Belts of any level in the United States may teach martial arts, the title sabom-nim (사범님 SaBeomNim 師範님) is used by some when talking about American martial arts instructors that might not yet be 4th Dan.
The term kwan jang-nim (KwanJangNim 舘長님 or 館長님) is used for the owner of a martial arts school. A chae yook kwan is a fitness center. A jang (장 Jang 長) is the general term for a head, chief or director. Nim (님 Nim) is a suffix of respect for a person. In the United States a black belt might not necessarily be a master but still might be the kwan jang-nim (관장님 KwanJangNim 舘長님 or 館長님) owner/operator of the school. The head or chief of several kwan jang (관장 KwanJang 舘長 or 館長) is the chong kwan jang (총관장 ChongKwanJang 總舘長 or 總館長). The hae jang-nim (회장님 HwoiJangNim 會長님) is the president or head of the association.
use different terms.
"Sifu" is a romanization, although the term and pronunciation are also used in other southern languages. In Mandarin/Pinyin Chinese, it's "shifu". The pronunciation in Mandarin is like "sh foo" (using typical English pronunciation). The 'i' appears to be silent. Many martial arts studios incorrectly pronounce this like "she foo". In Cantonese, it sounds like "Sea foo" (almost like "sea food", minus the "d" on the end).
(師傅 or 師父; Pinyin
: shīfu, Standard pinyin: si1 fu6) a modern term for "teacher".
The term Shifu is a combination of the characters "teacher" and "father." The traditional Chinese martial arts school, or kwoon
is an extended family headed by the Shifu. The Shifu's teacher is the "師公 honorable master" or Sigong. Similarly the Shifu's wife is the Simu "teacher mother" and the grandmaster's wife is known as: 師姥 shi lao; or 師婆 shi po. Male and female students who began training before you and are thus senior, are Sihing "teacher older brothers" and 師姑 shi gu "teacher's sisters". Women in traditional society did not have the same satus as males (in spite what modern movies tell you). Students junior to you are your Sidai and Simui. The pattern extends to uncles, aunts, cousins, great uncles, and so forth (see above for a complete list of relational terms).
A teacher might be referred to as '始祖 shi zu "founding teacher". e.g. Bruce Lee is the Shi zu "founder" of Jeet Kune Do
.
A closer relationship is formed between the Shifu and the Todai "disciple". After a formal Tea Ceremony, where everyone dresses up in their Sunday's best, the Todai kneels while serving his Sifu tea and becomes virtually an adopted son. The Todai assists the Sifu in minor school duties such as housekeeping and tuition collection. Modern mainland Chinese sometimes also use the term laoshi which also means teacher but implies a relationship more similar to that of Japan than the traditional family relationship.
In Lay Shaolin traditions, lineage norms – the special relationship between master and disciple – came from Buddhist traditions followed by the monastic sangha (congregation of monks and nuns). As with a tonsured monk, the student entered a marital family, the head of which was his master (Shifu 師父) or his/her grand master (Shizu 師祖; shigong 師公 shigong; Shiye 師爺). The rest of the family, including members of various generations, were called older-brother-masters, nephew-disciples ,” etc.
Dharma transmission (chin.: chuan fa 傳 法 ) is a complicated affair. Basically "to transmit the dharma" means to transmit an understanding of the truth. In this regard, instead of acknowledging only one disciple, Chan masters began to transmit the dharma to several disciples. This often created situations where the lineage fanned out so that it became unwieldy and it was not clear who was senior. Because of this, many sub-sects arose within Chan. As a result some lineages in Chan, as with lay Shaolin lineages adopted a quota system limited the number of students any one master may passed (graduated) the lineage to. In more recent history the custom arose of giving a written attestation, called a "dharma scroll" (chin.: fa juan 法卷), to 'graduated' disciples. In many of these cases monks were actually not given these but made their own copies. Typically these scrolls began with a story of Buddha then continued with the founder of the sub sect followed by a list of every master. Each name was assigned a generation number based on a piece of text. The scroll was used as proof of orthodoxy. In effect what was being transmitted was the authority to teach. Transmission of the dharma as a seal of office was the practice at most Chinese monasteries. However it should be pointed out that dharma was often transmitted from monk to monk without any reference to abbot-ship of a monastery but simply as a private transmission.
What further complicated records was secrecy. This kind of secrecy surrounded not only martial arts but also Buddhist and Taoist medication practices (kung fu). “Do not pass to anyone outside the temple the religion and the teachings.” Historical records also show that there was official (government) disapproval of Shaolin monks teaching martial arts to outsiders. This in effect created a situation were the names of monk masters were kept secret or simply not divulged. However, at lest since the Ming Dynasty historical records suggest that Shaolin martial arts were passed on mainly through monks and their lay followers most of whom kept very poor if any records. In many cases because of the all to common tumultuous times these were lost or destroyed. Most were left to relied on oral transmission, master to disciple. Even in cases, where the equivalent of 'dharma names' (chin.: fa ming 法名) was used to keep track of generational seniority and ancestry, these have been forgotten or were not rigorously used (a common problem with many Buddhist lineages as well). Be that as it may, most if not all, Shaolin martial art methods practiced today, including that which is practice today at Shaolin, survived because of lay Buddhist practitioners and lay lineages.
Most transmission-chain have little or no other evidence of being unbroken they remains useful in that often several recent generations are verifiable provide some validation of the consistency of the experience and teaching that is transmitted along that line.
In old school northern Chinese martial arts lineages such a Shaolin or Baqua, seniority was decided by a generational system. Here teachers (shifu) could have a number of students each qualified to teach (to graduate) and pass on the next generation. The most junior member of one generation was senior to the most senior member of the next. In other words 'grandmaster' is not a title as is claim by some in the west, but is rather is a relational term. A person addressing or speaking about the teacher of his teacher, would use the word 'grandmaster' ('shi ye' or 'shi zu'), however if that same person was ones own teacher, the title 'teacher' (師父 shifu) would be used instead of '師公 'shigong'.
The relational terms in Shaolin martial arts are as follows:
In some lineage (non-Chinese) based systems there is only one grandmaster who is the head or father figure of the entire style and acts as the overseer and example to all the style's adherents. It is the grandmaster's duty to see that the style continues on intact to the next generation of students and masters as well as look deeply into the style itself for anything that can be strengthened in any way. As the grandmaster it is him only who has the authority to change the style's format for future generations legitimately. In some cases, the grandmaster from one generation to the next is a prized disciple of the last grandmaster who has trained and mastered all the style's aspects including fighting techniques, theory and philosophy, and is publicly named the next grandmaster upon the current one's retirement. In various systems there are different traditions regarding this passing on of the title. More commonly a number 'graduates' from the same generation are included.
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master
Elderly martial arts master
The elderly martial arts master is a stock character in fiction, especially martial arts films. Typically East Asian, he is a near-invincible master of the martial arts, despite his age and presumed decrease in physical strength. Most often he teaches either generic Kung Fu, or an exotic style...
stock character in fiction. In Oriental martial arts, traditional titular systems vary between nations and arts, but terms such as "teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
" were more common than "master." The modern use came from to Western society in the 1950s with stories of martial feats seen in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
History
Oriental martial arts traditionally use terms that are usually translated as "teacherTeacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
" and the use of "master" was a Western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
invention derived from 1950s United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
war veterans returning home with stories of the incredible martial feats of certain individuals and groups. Subsequently, they found their way into martial arts culture as marketing tactics to the extent that the titles are aligned to the 'elderly martial arts master' stock character. In Asian countries, such titles are more commonly reserved for religious leaders and saints.
Modern use
The use of 'master', 'grandmaster' etc. is decided within an individual art or organisation. The use may be self assigned; for example having promoted a student to 'teacher' level, or may be assigned by a governing body in arts with a more formalise structure, and some do not use it at all, for historic reasons or to avoid the 'elderly master' stereotype. The modern use of DanDan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
rankings and Black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in martial arts both derive from Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
where they were adopted by its founder Kanō Jigorō
Kano Jigoro
was the founder of judo. Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical innovations attributed to Kanō include the use of black and white belts, and the introduction of dan ranking to show the...
.
Traditional systems
Some use equivalents of 'grandmaster' other have no directly equivalent term these derive form older systems, others are relatively modern.Japan
Japanese and Japanese derived artsJapanese martial arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the enormous variety of martial arts native to Japan. At least three Japanese terms are often used interchangeably with the English phrase "Japanese martial arts": , literally meaning "martial way", , which has no perfect translation but means something like science,...
commonly use Sensei
Sensei
' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...
(先生) meaning "teacher" or literally translated, "born first" or "one who has gone before". A Sensei is a person who has knowledge and is willing to teach that knowledge to another. A Sensei assists students in ken shiki "the pursuit of knowledge". Some organizations, such as the Bujinkan
Bujinkan
The Bujinkan is an international martial arts organization based in Japan and headed by Masaaki Hatsumi, it is best known for its association with ninjutsu. The system taught by this group, called Bujinkan Budō Tai jutsu, consists of nine separate martial arts traditions .-Origins:Hatsumi's...
, Kodokan
Kodokan
, or the Kodokan Institute, is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. Literally, kō means "to lecture" or "to spread information," dō means "the way," and kan is "a public building or hall," together translating roughly as "a place for the study or promotion of the way." The Kodokan was...
(Judo), and Shodokan Aikido
Shodokan Aikido
is the largest organized branch of the Tomiki Ryu founded by Kenji Tomiki（富木 謙治 Tomiki Kenji, 1900–1979). Tomiki Ryu is sometimes referred to as "Sport Aikido" because of its use of regular competitions, and although Tomiki used the name Shodokan without any reference to his own name, the...
, use the term shihan
Shihan
- Title of "Master" is a Japanese Honorific Title, Expert License Certification used in Japanese martial arts for Master Level Instructors. The award of the Expert License Certification is if designated by the qualification by virtue of endorsement by the [A] Association of Chief Instructors or [B]...
for high-ranking or highly distinguished instructors.
, means "the head family [house]." is sometimes used to refer to "founder of a style" because many modern sōke are the first generation headmasters of their art, but most correctly refers to the current head. A sōke is considered the ultimate authority within their art and has the authority to issue a menkyo kaiden certificate indicating that someone has mastered all aspects of the style.
Korea
The actual Korean word for a student's master is suseung-nim. This term is only used by the student when speaking to the instructor. The student is hakseang. (학생 HakSaeng 學生)Many Korean titles are often mistakenly translated as "grandmaster" (태사님 TaeSaNim 太師님). Sonseang-nim (선생님 SeonSaengNim 先生님) is a general term for a teacher of any subject as well as a respectful form of the word “you”. Martial arts instructors (in Korea 4th Dan and above) are called Sabom-nim (사범님 SaBeomNim 師範님). Since Black Belts of any level in the United States may teach martial arts, the title sabom-nim (사범님 SaBeomNim 師範님) is used by some when talking about American martial arts instructors that might not yet be 4th Dan.
The term kwan jang-nim (KwanJangNim 舘長님 or 館長님) is used for the owner of a martial arts school. A chae yook kwan is a fitness center. A jang (장 Jang 長) is the general term for a head, chief or director. Nim (님 Nim) is a suffix of respect for a person. In the United States a black belt might not necessarily be a master but still might be the kwan jang-nim (관장님 KwanJangNim 舘長님 or 館長님) owner/operator of the school. The head or chief of several kwan jang (관장 KwanJang 舘長 or 館長) is the chong kwan jang (총관장 ChongKwanJang 總舘長 or 總館長). The hae jang-nim (회장님 HwoiJangNim 會長님) is the president or head of the association.
China
Various dialects of the Chinese languageChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
use different terms.
"Sifu" is a romanization, although the term and pronunciation are also used in other southern languages. In Mandarin/Pinyin Chinese, it's "shifu". The pronunciation in Mandarin is like "sh foo" (using typical English pronunciation). The 'i' appears to be silent. Many martial arts studios incorrectly pronounce this like "she foo". In Cantonese, it sounds like "Sea foo" (almost like "sea food", minus the "d" on the end).
(師傅 or 師父; Pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: shīfu, Standard pinyin: si1 fu6) a modern term for "teacher".
The term Shifu is a combination of the characters "teacher" and "father." The traditional Chinese martial arts school, or kwoon
Kwoon
A kwoon is a training hall for Chinese martial arts.According to A Chinese-English Dictionary 1978, from Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press , the word guǎn can also mean1) Accommodation for guests;2) Embassy, legation or consulate;3) shop;4) A place for...
is an extended family headed by the Shifu. The Shifu's teacher is the "師公 honorable master" or Sigong. Similarly the Shifu's wife is the Simu "teacher mother" and the grandmaster's wife is known as: 師姥 shi lao; or 師婆 shi po. Male and female students who began training before you and are thus senior, are Sihing "teacher older brothers" and 師姑 shi gu "teacher's sisters". Women in traditional society did not have the same satus as males (in spite what modern movies tell you). Students junior to you are your Sidai and Simui. The pattern extends to uncles, aunts, cousins, great uncles, and so forth (see above for a complete list of relational terms).
A teacher might be referred to as '始祖 shi zu "founding teacher". e.g. Bruce Lee is the Shi zu "founder" of Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...
.
A closer relationship is formed between the Shifu and the Todai "disciple". After a formal Tea Ceremony, where everyone dresses up in their Sunday's best, the Todai kneels while serving his Sifu tea and becomes virtually an adopted son. The Todai assists the Sifu in minor school duties such as housekeeping and tuition collection. Modern mainland Chinese sometimes also use the term laoshi which also means teacher but implies a relationship more similar to that of Japan than the traditional family relationship.
Family systems (家 Jia)
Chinese martial arts lineages are based on one of three systems: Men 門 (Buddhist/religious ); Jia 家 (military/family) or Pai 派 (faction or branch school of one of the 'men (門)' systems). Shigong (Pinyin) 師公 which literally translates 'honorable master'. This dates back to the family systems (家 jia) of martial arts where the Shifu is the master and 'father figure' of the students. The 'honorable master'/師公 shigong' is an earlier generation in the lineage is also connected to the Men 門 Buddhist systems and military based Jia 家 systems. However this term, although it parallels the traditional family, is distinct from the familial maternal grandfather.Lineage based systems (門 Men)
Shaolin martial arts lineages, parallel monastic "dharma transmission", and "tonsure". The traditional idea of lineage is generally not understood very well. In Chinese Buddhism – tonsure (chin.: ti du 剃 度 ), that is the master-disciple relationship - entailed no vows and was clearly distinguished from ordination (chuan jie 傳戒; shou jie 受戒). Ordination came years later. Through tonsure a monk entered a "family". The 'tonsure family' was a private structure so to speak within the public body of the sangha (congregation of monks and nuns).In Lay Shaolin traditions, lineage norms – the special relationship between master and disciple – came from Buddhist traditions followed by the monastic sangha (congregation of monks and nuns). As with a tonsured monk, the student entered a marital family, the head of which was his master (Shifu 師父) or his/her grand master (Shizu 師祖; shigong 師公 shigong; Shiye 師爺). The rest of the family, including members of various generations, were called older-brother-masters, nephew-disciples ,” etc.
Dharma transmission (chin.: chuan fa 傳 法 ) is a complicated affair. Basically "to transmit the dharma" means to transmit an understanding of the truth. In this regard, instead of acknowledging only one disciple, Chan masters began to transmit the dharma to several disciples. This often created situations where the lineage fanned out so that it became unwieldy and it was not clear who was senior. Because of this, many sub-sects arose within Chan. As a result some lineages in Chan, as with lay Shaolin lineages adopted a quota system limited the number of students any one master may passed (graduated) the lineage to. In more recent history the custom arose of giving a written attestation, called a "dharma scroll" (chin.: fa juan 法卷), to 'graduated' disciples. In many of these cases monks were actually not given these but made their own copies. Typically these scrolls began with a story of Buddha then continued with the founder of the sub sect followed by a list of every master. Each name was assigned a generation number based on a piece of text. The scroll was used as proof of orthodoxy. In effect what was being transmitted was the authority to teach. Transmission of the dharma as a seal of office was the practice at most Chinese monasteries. However it should be pointed out that dharma was often transmitted from monk to monk without any reference to abbot-ship of a monastery but simply as a private transmission.
What further complicated records was secrecy. This kind of secrecy surrounded not only martial arts but also Buddhist and Taoist medication practices (kung fu). “Do not pass to anyone outside the temple the religion and the teachings.” Historical records also show that there was official (government) disapproval of Shaolin monks teaching martial arts to outsiders. This in effect created a situation were the names of monk masters were kept secret or simply not divulged. However, at lest since the Ming Dynasty historical records suggest that Shaolin martial arts were passed on mainly through monks and their lay followers most of whom kept very poor if any records. In many cases because of the all to common tumultuous times these were lost or destroyed. Most were left to relied on oral transmission, master to disciple. Even in cases, where the equivalent of 'dharma names' (chin.: fa ming 法名) was used to keep track of generational seniority and ancestry, these have been forgotten or were not rigorously used (a common problem with many Buddhist lineages as well). Be that as it may, most if not all, Shaolin martial art methods practiced today, including that which is practice today at Shaolin, survived because of lay Buddhist practitioners and lay lineages.
Most transmission-chain have little or no other evidence of being unbroken they remains useful in that often several recent generations are verifiable provide some validation of the consistency of the experience and teaching that is transmitted along that line.
In old school northern Chinese martial arts lineages such a Shaolin or Baqua, seniority was decided by a generational system. Here teachers (shifu) could have a number of students each qualified to teach (to graduate) and pass on the next generation. The most junior member of one generation was senior to the most senior member of the next. In other words 'grandmaster' is not a title as is claim by some in the west, but is rather is a relational term. A person addressing or speaking about the teacher of his teacher, would use the word 'grandmaster' ('shi ye' or 'shi zu'), however if that same person was ones own teacher, the title 'teacher' (師父 shifu) would be used instead of '師公 'shigong'.
The relational terms in Shaolin martial arts are as follows:
- Teacher: 師父 Shi fu
- Teacher's senior brother: 師伯 shi bo
- Teacher's junior brother: , 師叔 shi shu
- Teacher's female classmate: 師姑 shi gu
- Teacher's wife: 師母 shi mu
- Female master’s husband: 師丈 shi zhang
- Teacher's teacher (grandmaster): 師爺 shi ye; 師祖 shi zu; or 師公 shigong (the term 'shigong' means: 'honorable teacher', not 'grandfather teacher')
- Grandmaster's senior brother 師伯公 shi bo gong
- Grandmaster's junior brother 師叔公 shi shu gong
- Grandmaster's female classmate: 師姑婆 shi gu po
- Grandmaster's wife: 師姥 shi lao; or you can use 師婆 shi po
- Great Grandmaster: 師太爺 shi tai ye; or you can use 師太祖 shi tai zu
In some lineage (non-Chinese) based systems there is only one grandmaster who is the head or father figure of the entire style and acts as the overseer and example to all the style's adherents. It is the grandmaster's duty to see that the style continues on intact to the next generation of students and masters as well as look deeply into the style itself for anything that can be strengthened in any way. As the grandmaster it is him only who has the authority to change the style's format for future generations legitimately. In some cases, the grandmaster from one generation to the next is a prized disciple of the last grandmaster who has trained and mastered all the style's aspects including fighting techniques, theory and philosophy, and is publicly named the next grandmaster upon the current one's retirement. In various systems there are different traditions regarding this passing on of the title. More commonly a number 'graduates' from the same generation are included.
See also
- ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
"sifuSifuShifu is the identical pronunciation of two Chinese terms for a master. The character 師 means “teacher”. The meaning of 傅 is “tutor”, and of 父, “father”. Both characters are read fu with the same tones in Cantonese and Mandarin, creating some ambiguity...
" - JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
"senseiSensei' is a Japanese word that basically means "person born before another." In general usage, it means "master" or "teacher," and the word is used as a title to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers, CPA and doctors, politicians, clergymen, and other figures of authority...
" - List of taekwondo grandmasters
- MalayMalay languageMalay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
"pendekarPendekarPendekar or pandikar is a Malay word used to refer to or address masters of the martial arts, particularly silat. Not all masters carry the honorary title; it must be either officially bestowed by royalty or unofficially by commonfolk. The latter is most common today, especially outside Southeast...
" - Original masters of taekwondoOriginal Masters of TaekwondoOriginal masters of taekwondo is a group of twelve South Korean martial art masters assembled by the Korea Taekwon-Do Association in the early 1960s to promote the newly-established art of taekwondo...
- SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
"guruGuruA guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
"