Elderly martial arts master Elderly martial arts master The elderly martial arts master is a mentor/teacher stock character in fiction, especially "Wuxia", "Chanbara", and other martial arts films. Typically an East Asian male, he is a near-invincible master of the martial arts, despite being advanced in age and presumably having a decrease in physical strength. Often he possesses the rank of Sensei (or teacher) and is referred to as such by his student. The elderly master most often teaches either generic kung fu or an exotic style specific to the fictional period (see List of fictional martial arts). During the films, the master often
Chinese martial arts proper combat execution, the Shaolin aesthetic as art form, as well as upholding the meditative function of the physical art form. Another reason why techniques often appear different in forms when contrasted with sparring application is thought by some to come from the concealment of the actual functions of the techniques from outsiders. The word "wu" (; ') means ‘martial’. Its Chinese character is made of two parts; the first meaning “walk” or “stop” (; ') and the second meaning “lance” (; '). This implies that “wu’ 武,” is a defensive use of combat. The term “wushu 武術” meaning 'martial