also: せんしょう · ぜんじょう
Archaic term for a teacher or master, equivalent to modern 先生 (せんせい). Used historically; not in modern everyday speech.
See also: 先生 (せんせい)
In old documents, one can find examples where 先生 is read as せんじょう.
In old Buddhist scriptures, 先生 can mean a previous life.
Standard kanji spelling for this archaic term; the reading せんじょう is the most common among the three given.
Alternate reading; less common than せんじょう.
Alternate reading with voiced initial; rare.
The kanji 先生 literally mean 'born before' or 'earlier born,' implying seniority and respect. The reading せんじょう is an archaic Sino-Japanese reading; the exact historical derivation is uncertain.