Yi Ri Wei Shi, Zhong Sheng Wei Fu – Once a Teacher, Always a Father

Grandmaster Yee Leung Shum, known as Leung Shum, passed away on July 4, 2025. I have many memories of his teachings and our interactions over the span of more than four decades.

I recall vividly an interview that I conducted with Grandmaster Shum for the Wu Gong Journal, a Chinese martial arts publication which I published in the mid-1990s. The interview covered many martial arts topics as well as the relationship between the Shifu (the Master) and the student.

Regarding the relationship between Shifu and student, what was notable to me was the adage “Yi Ri Wei Shi, Zhong Sheng Wei Fu.” The literal translation is “Once a Teacher, Always a Father.” The true meaning is that even if a Shifu teaches you for only one day, you regard him and respect him as a father for the remainder of the Shifu’s life.

Grandmaster Shum went on to talk about the differences in students in the old days compared to students in our modern times. The topic revolved around the different types of students and their attitudes toward the Shifu. For the sake of future generations of students, I will republish that interview in a future post on this website.

The adage had a profound impact on me, and it made me reflect not only on my relationship with my own teachers, but my relationship with my students. There are very few who still follow this adage nowadays.

In the old days, a Shifu could be more discerning in the selection of students. This policy is more difficult to implement when one is operating a commercial school. This frustration was expressed by Grandmaster Shum, but he accepted the fact that times and people change.

Grandmaster Shum classified students differently. There were the more serious ones and then there were the customers. I too classify students in this manner.

It is the students’ behavior, dedication, seriousness, concern for the wellbeing of the school, and interactions with other students that places them in the camp of the true student or in the camp of the customer.