Traditionally, in Chinese martial arts shifu was used as a familial term and sign of respect as in the general usage. A shifu was deemed a "father", therefore his disciples would address each other as "brothers" or "sisters", particularly "big brothers" ("shīxiōng" 師兄), "little brothers" ("shīdì" 師弟), "big sisters" ("shījiě" 師姐) and "little sisters" ("shīmèi" 師妹). More specific familial prefixes could also be used, for example as in "biggest brother" ("dàshīxiōng" 大師兄), "second biggest (big) sister" ("èrshījiě" 二師姐), "third biggest (little) sister" ("sānshīmèi" 三師妹). Unlike actual familial prefixes however, "dà"-, "èr"-, "sān"-, etc. usually depended on the order in which a disciple was officially adopted by the master (i.e. seniority), not on their age. Likewise, whether or not fellow disciples are addressed as "big" or "little" brother/sister depended on whether they were adopted by the master before or after the subject, not on whether or not they are actually older or younger in age.