Of Masters and Men
Rene Ritchie, February 22nd, 2008
It’s not uncommon in Chinese martial arts to see titles like “master” and “grandmaster” used and sometimes abused. Indeed, the internet now sometimes makes it seem like there are more masters and grandmasters today than there were students in the last generation.
But what does it really mean?
If we westernize the Si-To (teacher/student) relationship into the master/apprentice paradigm in trade and craft, and we accept the usage of the parent to grand parent progression, then sifu being master, sigung (sifu’s sifu) would be grand-master (and sijo would be ancestral master).
If we westernize to the master/slave paradigm, in language (and worse, behavior), then we need startling intervention, asap.
So, using westernized terms like master or grandmaster, while counter to the familial convention of Chinese martial arts, and more than a wee bit pretentious in common usage (like a judge calling himself “My Honor”), could be useful in an archaic or commercial marketing sense.
For most, I think sifu, sigung, etc., properly and familial-ly expressed, is probably better karma. 
When I speak to my Sifu I addresse him as “sifu”,.when I speak to my immeadiate kungfu family I refer to him as “sifu”,my childern call him “sifu”,…when he speaks of my Si-gung he refers to him as “Gun-gun” which was his affectionate name for him BUT we addresse Si-gung as “Si-gung”,…but when we speak to people with in our community we refer to our Sifu as “Tom” (his first name) and our Si-gung as “Moy Yat”.Sometimes we refer to our sifu as “Dr.Chi” as well since he has a clinic…
And we were taught that a “Grandmaster” was simply one who was a master who had a “family” of masters, example from Moy Yat came many sifu’s who draw thier lineage from him….and respect and honor him as thier sifu or sigung thus making him a “Grandmaster”.
From Yip Man came many sifu’s who became “grandmasters” thus we call him “Great Grandmaster” when speaking to others, but oddly he (Yip Man) never addressed himself as such and wasnt given the “title” untill after his passing.