lǎo shī
teacher
老师好！
Lǎoshī hǎo!
Hello, teacher!
老师，我不会做这个题。
Lǎoshī, wǒ bù huì zuò zhège tí.
Teacher, I don't know how to do this question.
老师，谢谢您！
Lǎoshī, xièxiè nín!
Thank you, teacher!
教师 (jiàoshī)
teacher
教员 (jiàoyuán)
teacher
师傅 (shīfu)
master
学生 (xué sheng)
student
教授 (jiào shòu)
professor
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The Chinese word 老师 (lǎoshī) for "teacher" is composed of two characters: 老 (lǎo) and 师 (shī). The character 老 (lǎo) originally meant "old" or "elderly", and was used as a term of respect for people who were older or more experienced. The character 师 (shī) originally meant "army" or "troops", and was later used to refer to people who were skilled in a particular field, such as teachers, doctors, or artisans. Over time, the combination of these two characters came to be used specifically for teachers, as they were seen as both respected elders and skilled professionals. The term 老师 is now widely used in Chinese to refer to teachers of all levels, from kindergarten to university.
