Term that refers to one who is a novice, a greenhorn, a student/disciple, a subordinate, or just simply ignorant.
Has its origins from the "Kung Fu" television series from the 1970s, starring David Carradine as the Shaolin priest Kwai Chang Caine. As a young student at the Shaolin temple, Caine, in his youthful ignorance, takes pity on a blind Shaolin master, believing the master's blindness to be a terrible affliction. The master quickly corrects Caine, illustrating that despite his blindness, his awareness of the world is much higher than Caine's -- for example, the master takes notice of the grasshopper at Caine's feet whereas Caine does not.
From that moment on, the blind master befriends Caine and becomes a mentor to him. He gives Caine the nickname of "Grasshopper" in an affectionate reference to this first encounter.
