主 zhǔ owner / master / host / individual or party concerned / God / Lord / main / to indicate or signify / trump card (in card games) syn 师 師 shī teacher / master / expert / model / army division / (old) troops / to dispatch troops syn 主人 zhǔ rén master / host / owner / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 掌握 zhǎng wò to grasp (often fig.) / to control / to seize (initiative, opportunity, destiny) / to master / to know well / to understand sth well and know how to use it / fluency syn 学会 學會 xué huì to learn / to master / institute / learned society / (scholarly) association 大师 大師 dà shī great master / master syn 小偷 xiǎo tōu thief syn 主持人 zhǔ chí rén host / master of ceremonies / (TV or radio) presenter / anchor / (Tw) (research project) principal investigator (PI) / program director syn 高手 gāo shǒu expert / past master / dab hand syn 师傅 師傅 shī fu master / qualified worker / respectful form of address for older men / CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] syn 真人 zhēn rén a real person / Daoist spiritual master 主宰 zhǔ zǎi to dominate / to rule / to dictate / master syn 师父 師父 shī fu used for 師傅|师傅 (in Taiwan) / master / qualified worker syn 少爷 少爺 shào ye son of the boss / young master of the house / your son (honorific) syn 精通 jīng tōng to be proficient in / to master (a subject) syn 驾驭 駕馭 jià yù to urge on (of horse) / to drive / to steer / to handle / to manage / to master / to dominate syn 老爷 老爺 lǎo ye (respectful) lord / master / (coll.) maternal grandfather syn 硕士 碩士 shuò shì master's degree / person who has a master's degree / learned person 窃贼 竊賊 qiè zéi thief syn 上手 shàng shǒu to obtain / to master / overhand (serve etc) / seat of honor syn 原件 yuán jiàn the original / original document / master copy 主子 zhǔ zi Master (term used by servant) / Your Majesty / operator (of machine) syn 东家 東家 dōng jiā master (i.e. employer) / landlord / boss syn 郎君 láng jūn my husband and master (archaic) / playboy of rich family / pimp syn 司仪 司儀 sī yí master of ceremonies (MC) syn 马贼 馬賊 mǎ zéi horse thief / (old) group of horse-mounted bandits 名师 名師 míng shī famous master / great teacher syn 名家 míng jiā renowned expert / master (of an art or craft) syn 夫子 fū zǐ Master (old form of address for teachers, scholars) / (used sarcastically) pedant syn 后来居上 後來居上 hòu lái jū shàng lit. late-comer lives above (idiom) / the up-and-coming youngster outstrips the older generation / the pupil surpasses the master syn 衣钵 衣缽 yī bō the cassock and alms bowl of a Buddhist master passed on to the favorite disciple (Buddhism) / legacy / mantle 巨匠 jù jiàng great master (of literature, music etc) syn 拳师 拳師 quán shī boxing coach / pugilist master 师弟 師弟 shī dì young disciple (of the same master) / younger or junior male schoolmate 门生 門生 mén shēng disciple / student (of a famous master) syn 主从 主從 zhǔ cóng master-slave (computing) / client-server (computing) / primary and secondary syn 主仆 主僕 zhǔ pú master and servant 当家作主 當家作主 dāng jiā zuò zhǔ to be in charge in one's own house (idiom) / to be the master of one's own affairs syn 莫里哀 mò lǐ āi Molière (1622-1673), French playwright and actor, master of comedy 拜师 拜師 bài shī to formally become an apprentice to a master syn 主人翁 zhǔ rén wēng master (of the house) / main character in a novel etc / hero or heroine syn 融会贯通 融會貫通 róng huì guàn tōng to master the subject via a comprehensive study of surrounding areas syn 教头 教頭 jiào tóu sporting coach / military drill master (in Song times) syn 鲁班 魯班 lǔ bān Lu Ban, legendary master craftsman, called the father of Chinese carpentry 师徒 師徒 shī tú master and disciple 相公 xiàng gong lord / master / young gentleman / male prostitute / catamite / mahjong player disqualified by unintentionally taking in the wrong number of dominoes / (old form of address for one's husband) husband syn 硕士生 碩士生 shuò shì shēng Master's degree student 少奶奶 shào nǎi nai young lady of the house / wife of the young master syn 太上皇 tài shàng huáng Taishang Huang / Retired Emperor / father of the reigning emperor / fig. puppet master 八股文 bā gǔ wén eight-part essay one had to master to pass the imperial exams in Ming and Qing dynasties syn 回事 huí shì (old) to report to one's master 硕士学位 碩士學位 shuò shì xué wèi master's degree 总体规划 總體規劃 zǒng tǐ guī huà overall plan / master plan 神探 shén tàn master sleuth / lit. miraculous detective / cf Sherlock Holmes 福爾摩斯|福尔摩斯[Fu2 er3 mo2 si1] or Di Renjie 狄仁傑|狄仁杰[Di2 Ren2 jie2] 高学历 高學歷 gāo xué lì higher education record / record including Master's or Doctoral degree 师尊 師尊 shī zūn teacher / master 万能钥匙 萬能鑰匙 wàn néng yào shi master key / skeleton key / passkey 朱熹 zhū xī Zhu Xi or Chu Hsi (1130-1200), also known as Master Zhu 朱子[Zhu1 zi3], Song dynasty Confucian writer and propagandist, founder of neo-Confucianism 工商管理硕士 工商管理碩士 gōng shāng guǎn lǐ shuò shì Master of Business Administration (MBA) 尊师 尊師 zūn shī revered master syn 青出于蓝 青出於藍 qīng chū yú lán lit. green is born of blue, but beats blue (idiom) / fig. the student becomes superior to the master / same as couplet 青出於藍,而勝於藍|青出于蓝,而胜于蓝 syn 圣明 聖明 shèng míng enlightened sage / brilliant master (flattering words applied to ruler) 浴霸 yù bà bathroom infrared heater, marketed as "bath master" 抓贼 抓賊 zhuā zéi to catch a thief 朱子 zhū zi Master Zhu, another name for Zhu Xi 朱熹 小开 小開 xiǎo kāi (dialect) boss's son / rich man's son / young master syn 做贼心虚 做賊心虛 zuò zéi xīn xū to feel guilty as a thief (idiom) / to have sth on one's conscience syn 少东 少東 shào dōng boss's son / young master / young boss 狄仁杰 狄仁傑 dí rén jié Di Renjie (607-700), Tang dynasty politician, prime minister under Wu Zetian, subsequently hero of legends / master sleuth Judge Dee, aka Chinese Sherlock Holmes, in novel Three murder cases solved by Judge Dee 狄公案[Di2 gong1 an4] translated by Dutch sinologist R.H. van Gulik 高羅珮|高罗佩[Gao1 Luo2 pei4] 偷 tōu to steal / to pilfer / to snatch / thief / stealthily syn 圣 聖 shèng (bound form) peerless (in wisdom, moral virtue, skill etc) / (bound form) peerless individual / paragon (sage, saint, emperor, master of a skill etc) / (bound form) holy / sacred syn 拜 bài to bow to / to pay one's respects / (bound form) to extend greetings (on a specific occasion) / to make a courtesy call / (bound form) (of a monarch) to appoint sb to (a position) by performing a ceremony / to acknowledge sb as one's (master, godfather etc) / (used before some verbs to indicate politeness) syn 贼 賊 zéi thief / traitor / wily / deceitful / evil / extremely syn 盗 盜 dào to steal / to rob / to plunder / thief / bandit / robber syn 霸 bà hegemon / tyrant / lord / feudal chief / to rule by force / to usurp / (in modern advertising) master syn 硕 碩 shuò (bound form) large / big / (bound form) master's degree (abbr. for 碩士|硕士[shuo4shi4]) syn 以毒攻毒 yǐ dú gōng dú to cure ills with poison (TCM) / to fight evil with evil / set a thief to catch a thief / to fight fire with fire 贼头贼脑 賊頭賊腦 zéi tóu zéi nǎo lit. to behave like a thief / furtive / underhand syn 狗仗人势 狗仗人勢 gǒu zhàng rén shì a dog threatens based on master's power (idiom) / to use one's position to bully others syn 惯偷 慣偷 guàn tōu habitual thief syn 开山祖师 開山祖師 kāi shān zǔ shī founding master of a monastery / founder / originator syn 摇尾乞怜 搖尾乞憐 yáo wěi qǐ lián lit. to behave like a dog wagging its tail, seeking its master's affection (idiom) / fig. to fawn on sb / to bow and scrape / to grovel syn 书圣 書聖 shū shèng great calligraphy master / the Sage of Calligraphy, traditional reference to Wang Xizhi 王羲之[Wang2 Xi1 zhi1] (303-361) 人赃俱获 人贓俱獲 rén zāng jù huò (of a thief, smuggler etc) to be caught with stolen or illegal goods / to be caught red-handed 黄飞鸿 黃飛鴻 huáng fēi hóng Wong Fei-hung (1847-1925), martial arts master 梁上君子 liáng shàng jūn zǐ lit. the gentleman on the roof beam / fig. a thief syn 青出于蓝而胜于蓝 青出於藍而勝於藍 qīng chū yú lán ér shèng yú lán lit. the color blue is made out of indigo but is more vivid than indigo (idiom) / fig. the student surpasses the master 惯窃 慣竊 guàn qiè habitual thief syn 妙手空空 miào shǒu kōng kōng petty thief (lit. quick fingered and vanish) / empty-handed / having nothing 开门揖盗 開門揖盜 kāi mén yī dào leaving the door open invites the thief (idiom) / to invite disaster by giving evildoers a free hand syn 博而不精 bó ér bù jīng extensive but not refined (idiom) / to know something about everything / jack-of-all-trades, master of none 尊师贵道 尊師貴道 zūn shī guì dào to revere the master and his teaching 文武双全 文武雙全 wén wǔ shuāng quán well versed in letters and military technology (idiom) / fine scholar and soldier / master of pen and sword syn 业精于勤 業精於勤 yè jīng yú qín mastery of study lies in diligence (idiom). You can only master a subject by assiduous study. / Excellence in work is only possible with diligence. / Practice makes perfect. 行行出状元 行行出狀元 háng háng chū zhuàng yuán lit. in every trade, a master appears (idiom) / fig. You can produce outstanding achievements in any task, provided you put it enough love and diligence 一字之师 一字之師 yī zì zhī shī one who can correct a misread or misspelt character and thus be your master 程门立雪 程門立雪 chéng mén lì xuě lit. the snow piles up at Cheng Yi's door (idiom) / fig. deep reverence for one's master 恶人先告状 惡人先告狀 è rén xiān gào zhuàng the guilty party files the suit / the thief cries thief 贼喊捉贼 賊喊捉賊 zéi hǎn zhuō zéi lit. a thief crying "Stop the thief!" (idiom) / fig. to accuse sb of a theft and try to sneak away oneself / to cover up one's misdeeds by shifting the blame onto others 