主従

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 主従(しゅじゅう) refers to a master and someone who serves them, or to the relationship between those roles.
• Basic usage: It appears in historical drama about a lord and retainer or in references to the two people in that relationship.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A relationship and the people in it
  • 主従関係 names the relationship between the roles; 二人の主従 refers to the master and attendant together as two people.
• Different positions
  • Unlike 同僚, who simply work together as colleagues, 主従 implies different positions as master and follower.