师
army, teacher
At a glance · 师
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
师字小篆从𠂤从帀，会意为众多、军队；本义为军队，引申为师长。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
师本义为军队，引申为老师、师范。
Structure
会意字，从𠂤（众）从帀（周遍），表示众人所聚之军旅。
At a glance
Pinyinshī
Radical巾
Strokes6
UnicodeU+5E08
Character type会意
Theme军事
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
army, teacher
Shi is an associative character meaning an army and, by extension, a teacher.
Français
armée, maître
Shi est un caractère associatif signifiant une armée et, par extension, un maître.
Español
ejército, maestro
Shi es un carácter asociativo que significa ejército y, por extensión, maestro.
العربية
جيش، معلم
شي حرف تركيبي يعني الجيش، ومنه المعلم.
Русский
армия, учитель
Ши — ассоциативный знак, означающий армию и, далее, учителя.
Common words
- 老师lǎo shīteacher
- 师傅shī fùmaster