主 zhǔ — to own; to host; master; lord; primary
这家店的主人很热情。Zhè jiā diàn de zhǔ rén hěn rè qíng.The owner of this shop is very warm.
Common words: 主要 (zhǔ yào)、主人 (zhǔ rén)、主任 (zhǔ rèn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "master"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "master", including 主 (zhǔ), 师 (shī), 霸 (bà). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "master" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 主 (zhǔ), 师 (shī), 霸 (bà) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhǔ, shī, bà — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 主 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 主 zhǔto own; to host; master; lord; primaryUseful words: 主要, 主人
- 师 shīa division (milit.); teacher; master; expert; modelUseful words: 老师, 教师
- 霸 bàfeudal chief; rule by force; tyrant; lord; master; hegemonUseful words: 霸道, 霸占
Common words for these 3 "master" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 主 (zhǔ) — so "master" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
主要zhǔ yàomain; principal; major; primary主人zhǔ rénmaster; host; owner主任zhǔ rèndirector; head老师lǎo shīteacher教师jiào shīteacher工程师gōng chéng shīengineer霸道bà dàothe Way of the Hegemon; abbr. for 霸王之道; despotic rule; rule by might霸占bà zhànto occupy by force; to seize; to dominate学霸xué bà(slang) straight-A student; academic prodigy
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "master".
师 shī — a division (milit.); teacher; master; expert; model
张老师是我最喜欢的老师。Zhāng lǎo shī shì wǒ zuì xǐ huan de lǎo shī.Teacher Zhang is my favorite teacher.
Common words: 老师 (lǎo shī)、教师 (jiào shī)、工程师 (gōng chéng shī)
霸 bà — feudal chief; rule by force; tyrant; lord; master; hegemon
我们不应该霸占公共的东西。Wǒ men bù yīng gāi bà zhàn gōng gòng de dōng xi.We should not monopolize public things.
Common words: 霸道 (bà dào)、霸占 (bà zhàn)、学霸 (xué bà)
All 3 characters
Open 主、师、霸 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.