Radical 11-1甫Fǔ, seedling

Radical 11-1甫Fǔ, seedling  

“If we water this seedling carefully, fertilise, remove weeds and protect it from insects it will grow up to be strong and healthy!!!”

This character 甫Fǔ shows a seedling sprouting out of the ground. It represents a young plant but the meaning can include also the person whose job it is to help it grow. It can mean grass that grows naturally on its own but also a gardener that takes care of it.

People who do this type of work must love plants and must be capable of taking care of them with expertise and experience. They must make sure that the plants do not suffer from the heat watering them often of necessary. In winter they also have protect them when the ground freezes. 傅fù “expert" is made up of 甫Fǔ (seedling)人 (person) 寸(hand) , 師傅 Shī fù  “the master craftsman”, a combination of  師 Shī "Professor" or "teacher" and 傅fù "expert"; it describes someone who has experience or who has expertise in an art or craft.

師父Shī fù is also used to describe someone who is expert in an art which has a cultural value such as Opera, Martial arts, Buddhism or Taoism etc..

It can also refer to a teacher in the sense of role model, more than a teacher of a certain subject, someone who shows us a path to follow in life.

一日為師,終身為父

Yī rì wéi shī, zhōngshēn wèi fù

"Teacher for a day, father for life ",

師 Shī means professor or teacher and refers to a master in the sense of someone who shares knowledge. Instead, 師父Shīfù means more than just master of a subject, it means life role model.

It is difficult to translate a Chinese word that does not exist in western languages but 師父Shī fù could possibly be translated as mentor, someone whose teachings go beyond the simple sharing of a subject matter.

The relationship between young and old people based on kindness and respect is rare nowadays. In Chinese the concept of “Teacher Craftsman” exists. It describes the relationship between teacher and pupil which helps the teaching process. It is the transmission of technical and artistic skills but also wisdom or martial arts skills.

Under the influence of Confucian culture, in all far eastern countries this kind of teaching culture and mutual respect requires the student not just to frequent classes but to live with the teacher.

In this way teacher and pupil form a bond which lasts a lifetime, hence the expression “Teacher for a day, father for life”.

During this period new knowledge is not necessarily shared every day. Sometimes the lessons have the same objective for many years. However we are not describing students who paid school fees, they simply worked for their master as apprentices and received everything they need to survive on a daily basis in return. Knowledge was shared and matured during every-day life.

In a modern school system this kind of relationship is rare. It only survives in a few traditional art forms considered cultural heritage such as opera, martial arts, religious practices of Buddhism and Taoism and traditional medicine. These days it is still possible to find the father-teacher relationship necessary in the long preparation needed in some sports. ©兒童手搏文創Kids Shou Bo
Arte Cultura & Saggezza Cinese
Elaborated by M°Dante Basili /M°Stefano Danesi  Translated by Neil Berry