Meaning of 徒弟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- apprentice
- disciple
How to use 徒弟
徒弟 refers to an apprentice or disciple who learns a skill from a 师父 (shīfu), such as a craft, martial art, or traditional trade. It often appears in pairs like 师父和徒弟. Example: 他收了三个徒弟。(Tā shōu le sān gè túdì.) He took on three apprentices.
徒 (tú) means a follower and also appears in 徒步 (túbù), going on foot. 弟 (dì) means younger brother. A 徒弟 is like a younger brother who walks behind the master and learns the trade step by step.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 徒 as 走 or confuse it with 徙 (xǐ, to move), which has a similar left side. Also, 徒弟 keeps a full fourth tone on 弟 (dì), unlike 弟弟 (dìdi), where the second syllable is neutral.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
徒 tú · disciple · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
弟 dì · younger brother · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 徒弟.
| 弟弟 | dìdi | younger brother |
| 兄弟 | xiōngdì | brothers; younger brother |
| 歹徒 | dǎitú | evildoer; malefactor |
| 弟子 | dìzǐ | disciple; follower |
| 徒步 | túbù | to be on foot |
| 子弟 | zǐdì | child; the younger generation |
| 叛徒 | pàntú | traitor; turncoat |
| 老弟 | lǎodì | (affectionate form of address for a male who is not very much younger than oneself) my boy |
| 小弟 | xiǎodì | little brother; I, your little brother (humble) |
| 小弟弟 | xiǎodìdi | little brother; little boy |
| 表弟 | biǎodì | younger male cousin through a female relative |
| 弟兄 | dìxiong | brothers; comrade |
Questions about 徒弟
What does 徒弟 mean?
徒弟 (túdì) means "apprentice; disciple" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 徒弟?
徒弟 is made of 2 characters: 徒 (10 strokes), 弟 (7 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 徒弟 an HSK word?
Yes. 徒弟 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 徒弟 and 弟子?
徒弟 usually means an apprentice learning a practical skill or trade from a master. 弟子 (dìzǐ) is more formal and often refers to disciples of a teacher, a school of thought, or a religion.
What verb is used for taking on an apprentice?
Chinese uses 收徒弟 (shōu túdì), to take on an apprentice. From the apprentice's side, you can say 拜师 (bài shī), to formally become someone's student.