It's Teacher's Day today in China, September 10. Let's learn some Chinese saying about teachers.

Teachers in Chinese is 老师(lǎoshī) or 教师(jiàoshī).

What is a teacher? 什么(shénme)是(shì)老师(lǎoshī)？韩愈(Hán Yù) Han Yu, a famous literary figure of the Tang Dynasty said over 1000 years ago,

Shīzhě, suǒ yǐ chuándào, shòuyè, jiěhuò yě.

师者，所以传道，授业，解惑也。

A teacher is one who could propagate the doctrine, impart professional knowledge, and resolve doubts.

When talking about teachers, all Chinese people think of Confucius孔子(kǒngzǐ). He is the first teacher who advocated for the spread of education in China. But Confucius was very humble. He once said,

Sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī.

三人行，必有我师。

If three people are walking together, one of them is bound to be good enough to be my teacher.

The meaning of this sentence is to tell us that you should discover the highlights in others and always learn from other people.

In traditional Chinese culture, teachers are highly respected. There is a saying, 

Yí rì wéi shī, zhōngshēng wéi fù.

一日为师，终生为父。

A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. 

That's why in some occasions, teachers can also be called "师父(shīfù)", like a very close teacher or supervisor. 师(shī) from 老师(lǎoshī) teacher, 父(fù) from 父亲(fùqin) father. The meaning is teachers should be treated with the same respect as our parents.

If you want to learn knowledge, having a good teacher is certainly very important. But more importantly, you need to work hard to learn on your own. So there is another Chinese saying, 

Shīfu lǐng jìnmén, xiúxíng zài gèrén.

师父领进门，修行在个人。

The teacher just shows the way, but progress is up to the hard-work of the individual. 

This is very true for learning a language. To find a good teacher or join a great course doesn't mean you can learn Chinese well, the most important thing is to start learning on your own. Make learning your own habit, instead of waiting for teachers to ask you to do something.

Start learning from today! You can choose to either join our online Chinese course or just start on your own. But don't hesitate, just start.

Alright, let's review what we've learned today.

Shīzhě, suǒ yǐ chuándào, shòuyè, jiěhuò yě.

师者，所以传道，授业，解惑也。

A teacher is one who could propagate the doctrine, impart professional knowledge, and resolve doubts.

Sān rén xíng, bì yǒu wǒ shī.

三人行，必有我师. 

If three people are walking together, one of them is bound to be good enough to be my teacher.

Yí rì wéi shī, zhōngshēng wéi fù.

一日为师，终生为父。

A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. 

Shīfu lǐng jìnmén, xiúxíng zài gèrén.

师父领进门，修行在个人。

The teacher just shows the way, but progress is up to the hard-work of the individual. 

Happy Teachers' Day! 教师节快乐！Jiàoshī jié kuàilèi!