The 'Not-Yet-Sifu-Title-Title'

TITLES IN CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS USED TO BE A STRAIGHTFORWARD THING. A SIFU WAS USUALLY SOMEONE WHO WAS QUALIFIED BY THEIR MASTER TO TEACH OTHERS. A GRANDMASTER, EITHER JUNG SIOR JEUNG MOON YAN, WAS THE HEAD OF AN ENTIRE SYSTEM OR A BRANCH. ALL OTHER FORMS OF ADDRESS IN CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS ARE FAMILIAL, AND ARE NOT TITLES IN THE WESTERN SENSE OF THE WORD.

- Alex Richter

A Sihing, for example, is any male senior who started before you in your teacher’s school. While some Gung Fu families are more branched out and complicated, for the most part, it’s relatively straightforward. As Wing Chun grew in the West, so did a penchant for additional titles of recognition. Thus came the birth of things like Dai Sifu and Sihing as titles people expect to be referred by. As a teacher of Wing Tsun and the Chinese culture that is attached to it, I’m utterly embarrassed by the misuse of these terms by Westerners. Let’s help end this, shall we?

Dai Sifu literally means “big” or “great” teacher, but is usually understood to mean a well-established martial arts master. It is not uncommon for Chinese media to use Dai Sifu as a sign of respect to a master’s accomplishments. However, only the media, or perhaps someone who is flattering a master for fun, would use this term. This is analogous to a newspaper referring to me as “World Renowned Chef Alex Richter” for my cooking skills. It would be absurd for me to insist henceforth on being called “World Renowned Chef Alex Richter” by everyone I meet.