10/09/2026
武德 — Mo Duk: Martial virtue.
Strength guided by humility, respect, and good character.
Your Kung Fu Can Improve Without Your Respect Becoming Less
When I was a student in Sifu Dean Chin’s school, we had a custom that has stayed with me throughout my years of training and teaching. If a junior student could beat a more senior classmate, the junior would never use that victory to embarrass or disrespect his senior. You could improve, become stronger, and even surpass someone in fighting ability, but you were still expected to know how to conduct yourself.
Your senior kung fu brother—your Si Hing 師兄—did not stop being your senior because you got the better of him in sparring. That relationship meant something beyond who could hit harder or move faster. To me, this is part of 武德, Mo Dak: the character and conduct expected of someone who practices martial arts.
The senior has a responsibility, too. He should be able to appreciate a junior’s progress without becoming bitter or using his position to silence him. Being a Si Hing comes with an obligation to set an example. A junior’s improvement should be something the school can take pride in.
As we get older, this becomes even more personal. Speed, strength, and endurance change. A teacher or senior classmate may no longer perform the way he once did. That does not erase his years of work, his experience, or what he contributed to others. I would hate to think that everything a person gave to a school could be forgotten because a younger person can now outperform him.
What I remember from Sifu Chin’s school is that we were expected to carry our progress with some humility. We could train hard and test ourselves while still remembering that we belonged to the same kung fu family.
After all these years, that lesson still matters to me. I want my students to become capable. I also want them to understand that being able to defeat someone and knowing how to treat someone are two different abilities. A good kung fu education should develop both.
The same lesson we practiced in Sifu Chin’s school applies here. Just because you can get the better of your Si Hing in sparring or anything does not mean you should embarrass him.
Usually, the respectful approach is to speak privately: “Si Hing, I understood this differently. Can we talk about it?” That gives both people room to explain themselves, correct a misunderstanding, or acknowledge a mistake without making it a public contest.
Respect does not mean that a senior is always right or that a junior must remain silent. If something unsafe or harmful is happening, it may need to be addressed immediately.
“Giving face” 俾面, bei min, in Cantonese means treating someone in a way that preserves their dignity and shows respect, especially in front of others.
Not giving each other “face” can reflect poorly on their late Sifu’s legacy, especially when people know they were his students. Public insults, humiliation, or disrespect between classmates may lead others to question the conduct taught in his school.
There is an old saying that a person’s character is revealed by how they treat their parents. The same principle applies in kung fu: the way students treat their Sifu and fellow classmates speaks volumes about their character and their respect for the teachings they have received.
尊師重道 — “Respect the teacher and honor the teachings.”
