How long do you need to train or how experienced do you need to be before you are given a title ?
What is the difference between a Student , a Shifu , a Master and a Grandmaster ?
Student: someone who has joined the school. He/she is taught the basic and intermediate forms, techniques and methods. A student practices the style but does not belong to the lineage.
Disciple: a student who has performed the Baishi-ceremony, making him/her officially part of the lineage. In most cases, the disciple will receive True Transmission, the advanced teachings of the system. But sometimes a discipleship is in name only, a person is accepted as disciple but does not train.
A disciple is considered to be a Inner Chamber Student. Some people use the term Close Door Student, but this is incorrect. In Chinese martial arts culture, a Close Door Student is the last person to be accepted as a disciple by a certain teacher.
Shifu: In general, a person who has acquired a non-literary skill. For example, my driving instructor was my Shifu. The chef in my restaurant is a Shifu. In Chinese martial arts culture, a martial arts practitioner who has students is automatically a Shifu. I have two friends who learn from me, and during training they call me Shifu. It doesnât say anything about my skills, just the relationship between me and my students.
Furthermore, a practitioner who opens a school will also be called Shifu by the (local) martial arts community.
Grandmaster: this is a tough one. In my opinion, an instructor with 2nd or 3rd generation students can be considered a grandmaster within their own school.
sifu = master
Laviathan that sounds like a preaty accurate discription but. from my understanding you left a few ranks out. Well at least in my system there are a couple of others. Disehang = assistant instructor or 1/2 of Sehang ( di means 1/2), Sehang = instructor then Sifu wich means master, only the Grandmaster can appoint a student to this rank. although you may achieve a rank of sifu it dousnât mean you are not still a student. A student is anyone who is learning. just because you teach doesnât mean you are a Sifu. I teach and Iâm not a Sifu.
Laviathan that sounds like a preaty accurate discription
Thank you.
but. from my understanding you left a few ranks out. Well at least in my system there are a couple of others. Disehang = assistant instructor or 1/2 of Sehang ( di means 1/2), Sehang = instructor then Sifu wich means master, only the Grandmaster can appoint a student to this rank.
With âDisihangâ I think you mean âDai Sihingâ (Eldest kungfu brother)? I donât really understand what 1/2 (a half?) means⌠Anyway, Dai = Big, Si = Learning/teaching, while Hing = older brother. In Chinese martial arts culture, the first MALE student of a martial arts teacher is the Dai Sihing. He often function as assistant instructor, but this is not necessarily the case.
A Sihing is just a guy who happens to join the school prior to your arrival, a Senior Classmate. Of all your Sihing, the Dai Sihing is the most senior.
I am aware that in many kungfu schools, the term Sihing is used as a rank. But traditionally speaking, Sihing refers to the seniority of a student, but does not function as rank.
just because you teach doesnât mean you are a Sifu. I teach and Iâm not a Sifu.
I didnât say âteachâ, I said âhaving studentsâ⌠Two different things. 
By teaching you mean youâre an assistant instructor at your sifuâs school, right? In that case, youâre not a sifu. Because those are your Sifuâs students, not yours.
But once you have your own students, then you become their sifu.
I would like to conclude that, in tradtional Chinese martial arts culture, there are in fact no ranks. The titles of Sifu, Sigung, Sisok. Sibak, Sihing, Sidai etc. are used to describe the lineage relations within a martial arts school, like a family. They are relative, not fixed
Originally posted by Laviathan
[B]
A Sihing is just a guy who happens to join the school prior to your arrival, a Senior Classmate. Of all your Sihing, the Dai Sihing is the most senior.
I am aware that in many kungfu schools, the term Sihing is used as a rank. But traditionally speaking, Sihing refers to the seniority of a student, but does not function as rank.
I didnât say âteachâ, I said âhaving studentsâ⌠Two different things.
By teaching you mean youâre an assistant instructor at your sifuâs school, right? In that case, youâre not a sifu. Because those are your Sifuâs students, not yours.
But once you have your own students, then you become their sifu.
I would like to conclude that, in tradtional Chinese martial arts culture, there are in fact no ranks. The titles of Sifu, Sigung, Sisok. Sibak, Sihing, Sidai etc. are used to describe the lineage relations within a martial arts school, like a family. They are relative, not fixed [/B]
Agree 100%.
I didnât know that. thank for the insight.