zǔ shī yédictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
founder (of a craft, religious sect etc)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-72bd7a649761ddc5. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

祖師爺 祖师爷 [zu3 shi1 ye2] /founder (of a craft, religious sect etc)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 祖師爺

  • 祖
    zǔ

    ancestor / forefather / grandparents

    Zǔ

    surname Zu

  • 师
    shī

    teacher / master / expert / model / army division / (old) troops / to dispatch troops

    Shī

    surname Shi

  • 爷
    yé

    grandpa / old gentleman

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.