Happy Father’s Day
It has been a busy several weeks. I’ve attended three seminars in two weeks:
2-Person Sword 对剑 (Duì Jiàn) with Master Zhong Xuechao
Big Horse Cutter 大马刀 (Dà Mǎ Dāo) and Cloud Thrust Palm 穿雲掌 (Chuān Yún Zhǎng) with Master Raul Ortiz
Wǔdāng Bāguàzhǎng 武當八卦掌 Master Zhong Xuechao
It’s been great fun but has not given me much time to catch up on emails, posting pictures of the events, etc. In the meantime we’ve got lots of stuff on the back burners, including rankings in June and July, as well as the 3rd Annual Chinese Martial Arts Autumn Invitational November 2nd.
So, I’m grateful for Father’s Day, where I have the chance to set work aside to spend some time with my family. I’m grateful to be able to do so, especially at a time when fathers are being ripped from their children across the US and the world. My relative safety and comfort is an enormous privilege that I do not take for granted.
The Chinese have an idiom:
“Teacher for a day, father for life.”
“一日为师，终身为父.”
“Yī rì wéi shī, zhōng shēn wèi fù.”
Originating from a play that extolled the Confucian values of filial piety, the phrase highlights the importance of the student/teacher relationship. A Shifu is not just a teacher, but a leader, guide, and mentor in many other ways.
This importance is further emphasized even in the Chinese characters for “master.” One variation is 師傅 (Shīfù), which translates roughly to “expert instructor.” It’s often used in a professional context, or, if one were to think of a trade, like an apprentice or journeyman vs. a master.
The other variation is 師父 (Shīfu) which translates to “teacher-father.”
師 (shī): teacher, master, expert
傅 (fù): tutor
父 (fù): father
Kung Fu is certainly a family affair!
Some students come in expecting a Western model; “I give you money, you give me lessons.” This is very much not how it works in traditional Chinese culture. The guǎn 馆 functions like a university. Your tuition pays for your spot in the class, but it is up to you how to conduct yourself and use your time while you’re there. You can dial in the bare minimum to get your degree, or you can take advantage of all the institution has to offer.
Other students come in with very orientalist (and usually also sexist), preconceived notions of what the teacher is. They are expecting a wise old Asian man in flowing robes who sagely dispenses wisdom and techniques that magically solve all the problems in the student’s life. This is also very much not how it works.
The Shifu is someone with technical proficiency in one particular field (martial arts). Martial arts are arts, that are passed on through generations, just like music, painting, pottery, flower arranging, etc. So the teacher’s investment in passing on their craft also means that they need to impart cultural knowledge, history, and teaching tools to their students.
If we use music as a comparison, it’s not enough that the student simply learns how to play the song, they should understand the musical theory, the original composer, the time during which the piece was created, how the piece was innovative for its time, etc. We want an in-depth understanding of art, not a surface-level, social media clip that is immediately swiped past and forgotten forever.
Personally I don’t see “teacher for a day, father for life” as an indication that the students need to come in and dote on me like I’m some kind of patriarch, I’m not anyone’s dad but my daughter’s. Rather, I think of it as a reminder to me as a teacher of the responsibility I bear towards my students. Every person who walks in the door needs (and deserves) my long-term attention, care, and investment. It behooves both of us. The student’s life is hopefully enriched by their training, and if I’m lucky, I will find a person who will help to keep the art alive into the future after we are all gone. It’s a huge responsibility and not one that I take lightly. And, you can see why I get annoyed when that respect is not reciprocated - this isn’t a casual relationship and respect is a two-way street.
I’m grateful to my own teachers for playing this role for me and setting a good example to follow. I’m also grateful to all the Kung Fu dads who trust me with the instruction of their kids, and help to improve and uplift the school and our Kung Fu community in various ways.
Happy Father’s Day!
Shifu
